Return to Cybertron
by RazorsawTF
Summary: In the wake of the final battle, the Autobots and Sari are back on Cybertron. But as life pulls them in separate directions, one Autobot tries to cope with loss... and forces that lurk in the planet's shadows. TFA - UPDATE: COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 01: Divided Paths

**Transformers Animated:Return to Cybertron  
Chapter 1: Dividied Paths**

**Transformers Animated is the property of Hasbro and Takara-Tomy. This fic is completely non-profit and exists for my own personal use and amusement. No infringement on the rights of the original creators is intended.**

**Sunstreaker as portrayed in this story is based on a concept created by Teal. I did not create this version of the character. All other OCs are my creation, save for those elements based on existing Transformers characters from other series.**

_Written By: Razorsaw_

_The roads we walk are not always roads we walk together.''_

Trypticon. A massive, monolithic building that served as the final destination the worst of the worst of the Cybertronian race. Be they traitors, petty criminals, or Decepticons captured during the war, everyone knew that if you were sent to Trypticon, you were finished. Only one person had ever escaped from those monolithic walls, and he had come out as a shadow of his former self... broken, insane... completely different from what he'd been before.

And now it was playing host to its most prestigious tenants yet.

"Star Saber must be pitching a glitch right now," stated a mech named Padlock, as he and his fellow security team members stood in the prison transfer bay. He was an olive colored mech, with a wide-brimmed visor on his helmet and a badge-like Autobot symbol that identified him as a lieutenant in the prison's security force. He was younger than his co-workers, and comparatively much more naive. "We've never had such high priority detainees here before..."

"And where else would you send 'em?" said the gravelly voice of Warpath, the prison's head of security. He was giant by Autobot standards, with a massive radar mounted on his chest... or rather; it had been a radar, until he converted it into a sonic disruptor.

Many of the prisoners, and even members of the security team, had joked that Warpath was as bad as the Decepticons themselves. Warpath had beaten respect into every prisoner who'd walked through the prison's walls... and, just as often, fear as well.

"It's not like they can hold 'em in Fortress Maximus. _BAM! POW!_ Military complex my skid-plate... one gun's not enough, even if it can blow up something like-"

"I think," interrupted a green, black, and silver mech named Hound, "that the warden is merely worried that there will be an incident while he's away. This transfer should be going on while he's here... after all, this is Meg-"

"I don't care who he is!" snapped Warpath, wheeling around and poking Hound forcefully on the chest-plate. "You may be Star Saber's second-in-command, but matters of security are MY responsibility! _KAPOW!_ And in case you didn't realize... I'm Elite Guard myself! Megatron's not gonna set one servo out of line as long as I'm here! _**KABLAM!"**_

"Uhm, sirs, I'd hate to interrupt you, but... they're here."

Both Hound and Warpath looked up, the former looking relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with an argument with the latter. A blue and silver shuttle was coming in for a landing, and it caused all three, as well as their company of Autotroopers, to stand at attention.

Once the ship had landed in the transfer bay, its rear hold opened up. The bot that emerged from it first was a yellow, black, and silver robot whose chest was emblazoned with the symbol of the elite guard. He had a smirk on his face that indicated arrogance and absolute self-confidence, and his armor had a lustrous shine that almost made Padlock's optics hurt. He sauntered forward towards the prison company, carrying himself in a pompous, self-assured manner.

"Sunstreaker," said Hound, stepping forward and saluting. "I'm pleased to welcome you to Trypti-"

"Oh please, Hound," chided the Elite Guardsman. "You don't need to stand on ceremony with me. Besides, I want to get done here as soon as possible... a champion like me can't be seen in this den of n'er-do-wells."

He ended that sentence with a sideways glance to Warpath, which made the massive Autobot growl. "Blammin zappin pretty boy zowin..."

"I see," said Hound. "I suppose you must be eager to attend the funeral ceremony..."

"Eh?" said Sunstreaker, stroking his chin. "... Oh, right, for the Cyber Ninja who united the Allspark again. Is that today? Whatever... I suppose I could show up for a few holo-image shots.."

Hound had to suppress a grimace. "I see. But um, the task at hand..."

"Oh right," said Sunstreaker, snapping two of his servo's fingers. "Bring them out, Checkpoint."

The robot that emerged first was an Autobot, colored white and black, and emblazoned with hazard stripes. He wore the badge of the Autotrooper police force, and his comparatively unique model set him apart from the company of nearly identical mechs that followed him out of the transport, leading their prisoners along.

Said prisoners were all unmistakable. The stasis cuffs they wore did nothing to decrease the menace that one felt as they looked upon some of the most formidable members of the Decepticon faction: The monolithic, powerful Lugnut. The cycloptic and wily shape-shifter Shockwave. And of course, the most terrifying of them all... the despotic and legendary Megatron.

But not even that could keep the overzealous Warpath from stomping forward and getting in Megatron's face, trying to be intimidating. "Well well well," said the large Autobot, who was still dwarfed by the Decepticon. "Oh how the mighty have fallen... I bet you don't even remember me."

Megatron calmly quirked an optic. "Should I?"

"You nearly off-lined me in the final battle of the Great War, _KABLAM!_" hissed Warpath, his words seething with hate. "I was left steaming wreck along with what was left of Omega Supreme... before you and the rest of your army ran off like cyber-foxes with their tails between their legs, _BLAMMO!_"

Megatron simply stared at Warpath for a moment... before smiling.

"I'm sorry... there were so many of you Autobots falling that day... I'm afraid I can't remember which one you were. So many of you screaming, begging for mercy... you all kind of blur together, really..."

What followed was a long period of silence, where Warpath seemed to barely be containing his wrath. But to everyone's surprise, the red mech drew back, and head out of the transfer bay.

"Make sure that scum gets locked up in our highest security cell, _BAZAM!_" Warpath bellowed. "Then prepare the variable voltage harness... high command wants us to get whatever secrets we can out of these war criminals..."

Padlock moved to walk in step with Checkpoint and the Autotroopers. "Um, right..." he said, before noticing something about one of the Decepticons. "Hey... how come there's a deadbolt over the big guy's mouth?" he asked, referring to the fact that Lugnut had the lower half of his face covered.

"He wouldn't shut up about how 'the glorious Megatron would make us all pay,'" Checkpoint replied, making a face and rolling his optics. "I couldn't slagging take it anymore."

"... Ah," said Padlock. "Right. Well, come along then," said the security officer, taking his enforcement rod and jamming into the skid plate of the nearest Decepticon. "Get moving, you!"

Shockwave recoiled in pain, before looking back at Padlock with a ominously glowing optic. "Don't you dare touch me, you insignificant little piece of shrapnel..."

"So shoot me," Padlock grunted, as they began to lead the Decepticons into the prison. Hound, meanwhile, watched, and frowned to himself. He had a feeling that this was only going to be the start of a very long, stressful stellar cycle...

* * *

"... when I first met Prowl, he was looking for a direction in life... for something to be a part of... trying to find his way. In those early days, when he was a member of my crew, he set himself apart from the rest of us. He never tried to open up... and I kept thinking that it was him who needed the rest of us. I wasn't proven wrong, but... in the end, we needed him just as much as he needed us."

Optimus Prime looked out at the congregation surrounding him. Members of the high council, distinguished members of the Autobot military and elite guard. Scientists. Old friends and comrades... teachers from the academy... it felt like all of Cybertron was here.

And foremost among them, standing near Optimus's podium, and the pod that lay at the foot of it, was his crew. Said pod carried the lifeless shell of their fallen comrade... a dear friend named Prowl. As it happened, they had all gained a great deal in that final battle with Megatron, but had lost a good deal more.

"I would often give this speech about how we were all cogs in the great Autobot machine," continued Optimus. "I still believe that. Prowl brought us back the Allspark... something that we thought would never be whole again. But at the same time... my crew... my family... the entire planet of Cybertron... we've lost a part of ourselves... something that we're never going to get back. But at the same time... we have a new future... and Prowl would want us to move towards that..."

Optimus sucked in a breath, and raised his fist to the sky.

"Till all are one!" he cried.

_"TILL ALL ARE ONE!"_ the crowd returned - even Sari, who was as much an alien to Cybertron as Optimus had once been to Earth.

Yes, everyone called out that sacred creed... all save for one.

The short, scrappy, yellow mech whose optics were fixed on Prowl's pod.

* * *

The rest of the funeral went by in a haze for Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Sari. There were words said, grand speeches by people who didn't even know Prowl, and yet had no problem making a spectacle out of his memorial. In particular, that old mechanoid Alpha Trion had rambled about the importance of the Allspark, and barely even mentioned their fallen friend. Eventually, though, it all came to an end, and Prowl's pod was laid to rest in the tomb that was used as the resting place of "Cybertron's greatest heroes."

Now they were alone, together in a single car transport, sitting in awkward silence.

"I... I'd never been to one of those before," said Sari, finally breaking the quiet. "Not even back on Earth..."

"...I've been to one," Optimus said, sorrowfully, staring at the floor of the car. They all had an idea of to whom he was referring, and that made everyone exchange uneasy glances. Ratchet just grimaced however, recalling too many bad memories all at once.

"So what do we now?" asked Bulkhead, abruptly mentioning the thing that was on the back of everyone's mind. Since coming back to Cybertron. the entire experience had been like a whirlwind, culminating in Prowl's funeral. Now... now after being pulled in a million different directions, it seemed like they were now stalled.

"I've been asked to a special meeting of the Autobot council," said Optimus, managing to reply while simultaneously not exactly answering Bulkhead's question.

"And I need to visit Arcee in the Cybertron Central Infirmary," said Ratchet. "They say her rehabilitation is just about complete."

"So that just leaves us," said Bumblebee, spring up. "You know, I've never been on Cybertron with you and Sari, Bulkhead... I'll show you all my old hangouts! There's this one body shop place run by an old friend of mine... you guys'll love it!"

Bulkhead and Sari stared at him, before looking at each other uneasily.

"... what? What is it?" asked Bumblebee. "Come on, guys, if that doesn't sound like fun, we could just-"

"It's not that," said Bulkhead. "It's just... I was invited to meet with a lot of high profile members of the Science Guild about my work with space bridges, and..."

"... they also said that there was something they could tell me about where I came from," replied Sari. "And about all those other protoforms..."

Bumblebee blinked. "Oh, well, alright... that's cool, I guess..."

"Hey little buddy!" said Bulkhead, standing back up. "Don't be like that... tell ya what, you meet up with us after we're done and we'll do whatever you like, huh? How's that sound?"

"Y-Yeah!" said Sari. "Of course, there's a chance people might run away screaming at the sight of me..."

Bumblebee blinked... and then grinned. "Alright then! You guys better not stand me up...!"

Everyone was just about to reply, when suddenly, the transport stopped. The car's doors opened, and everyone stepped out, amidst a crowd of Cybertronian commuters.

"Um, I'll be seeing you all soon," said Prime, before heading off.

"Me too, kid. Keep your skid-plate outta trouble," said Ratchet, walking off in his own direction.

Bulkhead and Sari managed a tiny nod, before heading off as well, the larger of the two letting Sari nest under one of his shell panels in order to hide her from potential onlookers.

Bumblebee stood there, staring at his own stabilizing servos, before giving out a grunt of annoyance and heading off on his own.

* * *

Three Megacycles later, Optimus Prime found himself in the Metroplex, the seat of government for all of Cybertron. The councilroom's main chamber was intimidating, and adorned with murals of significant events in Cybertron's history. He couldn't help but feel small, especially when he looked at the image that depicted the first Magnus forging the container of the Allspark...

"Well well well, Optimus Prime, as I live and oscillate," said a familiar voice. "Been a long time."

Optimus wheeled around... and smiled at what he saw. There was a short, red and black Autobot with two horns adorning his helmet standing there. Optimus reached out and joined hands with the other mech.

"Cliffjumper," said Optimus. "We haven't talked since you communicated with us on Earth..."

"Yeah, not exactly the best situation for two academy chums to reminisce," said the smaller Autobot. "Man, I never thought we'd both be here... one day I'm playing secretary to Longarm, and you're heading up a repair crew... and the next, I'm head of Autobot Intelligence and you're the planet's greatest hero!"

Optimus felt a bit ashamed upon hearing Cliffjumper's commendation, but he suppressed it, and nodded. "Well, it's a long way from our days in the academy, back with Sentinel and Elia-1..."

Cliffjumper's optics blinked, and he was about to comment, when the doors to the chamber opened. In walked several _very_ famous mechanoids: Alpha Trion, the duly elected head of Cybertron's civilian authority; Botanica, a green, yellow, and light-red colored femmebot who represented the planet's energon cultivation and industrial areas; Mudslinger, the individual in charge of the council's ethics board as well as public relations; Avalon, a gold and red mechanoid who spoke for the various business guilds; and finally, Xaaron, who oversaw the non-military peacekeeping operations on Cybertron.

"Optimus Prime," said Alpha-Trion, striding forward. "It is a great honor. We never really had a chance to speak during the funeral, but I have followed your career with great interest.!"

Optimus was legitimately surprised by this. "Um, thank you sir," he said, shaking servos with the older Autobot. "Though I can't imagine why you'd be interested in me of all people..."

"Don't sell yourself short, Optimus," said Cliffjumper. "You really made a mark when you started showing what your crew was up to on Earth."

_Yes, but that's only in the last stellar cycle,_ Optimus remarked inwardly.

"So this is the great Optimus Prime," said Mudslinger, striding forward. Prime had seen archival recordings of the councilor, but none of them had focused on the shrewd, scrutinizing expression that the blue and orange Autobot was showing now. "Hm, if I'd known then what I know now, I never would have ruled against you during that whole nasty business with your colleague. What was her name...? Ariel? Aelita? ... Ah! That's right. Elita-1!"

Optimus's optics widened. "You... you ruled on that?" asked Optimus.

"Hm? Oh, no, I wasn't the only one who did it. But Ultra Magnus heavily considered _my_ advice when he made his decision. If only you'd said something of course, that whole ugly mess could have been avoided..."

Optimus felt his spark sink, and he firmly decided that he didn't much care for Councilor Mudslinger. Cliffjumper saw his old academy colleague's reaction, and coughed. "Hey, um, why don't we talk to Optimus about why we asked him here, eh?"

"Ah, yes, indeed," said Avalon, nodding. "Now, this is all strictly informal, as we can't make a ruling without Perceptor here... but the Council has made an important decision..."

"That's right," said Xaaron with a mischievous smirk. "You do know Ultra Magnus isn't expected to make a full recovery, right?"

Optimus blinked his optics yet again. "Well, yes, but... he's not going to go offline, is he?"

"Of course not," replied Botanica. "It is unfortunate, but... Ultra Magnus is an older mechanoid. They don't even make replacement parts for his body-type anymore. When his recovery is complete, he'll no longer be able to participate in combat. He'll be something of an invalid for the rest of hs days."

"And thus he'll lose his standing in the eyes of the military," added Xaaron. "And even though Megatron's been captured, it's not likely that the Decepticons will be ceasing their aggression."

"We need a new leader," stated Alpha Trion. "Someone who all of Cybertron respects... someone whose already done great things for our people. We need you, Optimus Prime."

Optimus's eyes widened, and... he found it somewhat harder to stand up. "Me-?! What-?! But... Sentinel-!"

"...Has infringed upon the rights of the citizenry, openly defied the Council, and nearly led Cybertron into a panic," replied Alpha Trion. "You, however, have defeated Megatron, and returned the Allspark to us... the Decepticons would fear your very name, and the military would unquestionably accept you as their commander in chief."

Cliffjumper nodded in agreement. "Optimus, I've known you and Sentinel for mega-cycles," he said. "And really... I know who I'd cast my lot in with. And besides, haven't you EARNED IT by now?"

Optimus's jaw fell open, as he didn't quite know how to answer that. And then, very quickly, he felt the optics of all the councilors on him, looking at him with expectancy.

And Optimus had no idea what to tell them.

* * *

Ratchet couldn't believe his optics. The scene before him, it just... it just wasn't possible.

He was in the Central Infirmary, but not in any of the medical wards. Rather, when he'd arrived, he'd found that Arcee was in one of the combat rehabilitation centers - the kind of place warrior bots used to get back in gear before returning to active duty. And what he saw her doing there was... frankly remarkable.

Arcee was slashing targets and practice drones with two energon-swords, making quick work of them as she moved with grace and precision. In the entire time Ratchet had known Arcee, he'd known her as a victim... someone who needed his help to be rescued. And yet, now...

"I... I didn't know she was trained as a warrior," stammered Ratchet as he looked through the center's observation window.

"Apparently she was once one of Cybertron's finest swordfighters. Or rather IS one of them," said First Aid, a red and white Autobot medic who had been Arcee's attendant while she was at the infirmary. "You only knew her when she was injured... but to work in Intelligence, you have to be ready to fight back... It makes sense that she'd know how to defend herself."

Ratchet nodded, slowly. It was true... the only times he'd gotten a glimpse at the _real_ Arcee was when she was injured prior to them being captured by Lockdown, and in the short moments during and after the final battle with Megatron. He had only learned anything about her life prior to the accident second-hand, and not from interacting with Arcee herself.

"I guess... I didn't know what to expect," sighed Ratchet.

"No one ever does with these things," replied First Aid. "This really is unprecedented... no one has ever completely recovered from a total memory wipe. It's a miracle."

Miracle. Ratchet didn't like that word. After all he'd done to try and help Arcee, it was the Allspark's power and Sari that had saved her. Yes, they'd used his EMP generator, but he had been told what to do with it...

"Looks like the simulation is over. I'll leave you two to talk, then."

Ratchet looked up with a start, but before he knew it, First Aid was gone. And soon enough, Arcee walked in from the training room, stowing her swords in her back vehicular shell compartments. She then saw Ratchet, and her expression brightened.

"Ratchet!" the pink Autobot exclaimed as she hurried over to him. "It's good to see you."

"Ah, um," said Ratchet, straightening up. "It's, ah, good to see you too, Arcee... Looks like you've been doing pretty well after being offline for such a long time."

Arcee paused at that, and took on an expression that reflected hard thought. "To be honest," she said. "It doesn't feel like it's been a long time. The whole ordeal with Lockdown... the Great War... for you it was millions of stellar cycles, but for me, it's like it was all yesterday..."

Ratchet nodded slowly. "I guess... you've been briefed on everything that happened afterward, with-"

"Omega Supreme," said Arcee, finishing his sentence for him. "Yes, I heard about it. Though, it was easy to figure some things out for myself when I came back on-line and found myself standing _inside_ him..."

Ratchet could only nod again, his optics finding the floor. Arcee looked at him quizzically... before walking forward, and putting a hand on the old mech's shoulders.

"Ratchet," she said, gently. "I know it was a hard thing to do, but I knew the risks when I took them. We didnt know each other for every long, but you picking up where I left off... helping Omega like you did... I'm glad someone like you came to both of our rescues..."

Ratchet looked up, his jaw hanging open. Arcee was smiling at him, and... in the face of that, he couldn't help but smile back.

"Ehh...! You're back on line and First Aid told me you made a full recovery before walkin' outta here," he said, putting his arm around the smaller Autobot's shoulder. "Why don't I show you to the best oil joint on Cybertron?"

Arcee laughed. "Is it still MacAddam's Old Oil House?"

Ratchet laughed too.

"You know kid, you and I are going to get along just fine..."

* * *

Sari sighed, leaning her head on her hand as she sat on one of the Science Guild conference tables. She was in the process of wondering just how a half-organic Transformer protoform could be _completely ignored_ in a room full of robots whose purpose was to study unique scientific discoveries.

The answer? Was Bulkhead.

"Bulkhead, I've seen your aptitude tests! You're a space bridge GENIUS - even more brilliant than the great Spanner himself!"

"I have several theoretical concepts I'd like you to look at, Bulkhead... Perhaps you could help me in the areas where I've been having trouble!"

"Bulkhead, I read your notes on the spacebridge you built on earth... I couldn't make out most of it, but the parts that I could read were simply brilliant!"

Sari had expected her time on Cybertron to be different. The fact that she was half-organic had to mean _something_, right? At this point, she was half ready for someone to start fleeing from her like she was some kind of monster. That would have at least been mildly entertaining.

Then, just as Sari was thinking of hovering up and touching one of the scientists just to see what would happen...

**"You are the half-organic formerly known as Protoform T4R4-5RT0N6."**

Sari looked up with a start, and saw a mostly red Autobot looking down at her. He had a bulb-shaped head, a rather thin build, and a visor that looked almost like a pair of bifocals in front of his optics. A device that looked some kind of scope was mounted on his shoulder.

"Um yeah, I guess," said Sari, standing up. "You're... Perceptor, right? Head of the Science Guild?"

**"Correct,"** replied the Autobot. **"I would like to show you something. Come along, this way."**

Sari blinked. "But, Bulkhead..." she said, looking towards where her friend had been. Then she blinked, and saw that Bulkhead and his collection of admirers were gone. She turned back to Perceptor... and found the Autobot already walking away.

"Stupid impatient egghead," Sari muttered. "Stupid Bulkhead ditching me..."

Sighing, she activated her skates and her rocket pack, and took off after Perceptor...

* * *

Bulkhead had to get _away_. Away from all of those bots who were hounding him.

It wasn't that he didn't like being recognized for his skill. In truth, he really had been bothered all those times people had made light of him and called him a giant gearhead, or when they insulted for being a lowly spacebridge technician...

But at the same time, he hadn't expected all of _this._ They were acknowledging him, but they were also _smothering_ him. It was completely overwhelming. Bulkhead needed a few moments of peace before he could even think of facing them again. In fact, he was considering finding Sari and ducking out somehow...

"... So this is the space bridge genius. Feh. Not impressed."

Bulkhead's optics widened, and he looked up... and saw no one there. "Uhhh...?" asked the giant green Autobot. "... I'm not starting to hear things, am I?"

_"Down here, you great lummox!"_

Bulkhead's optics blinked, and he indeed looked down... _way down._ Standing there, with his arms crossed and a perturbed looking expression, was an orange and grey Autobot who was _incredibly_ short. No, he didn't just look perturbed... he looked like he was barely suppressing a temper tantrum. There was a strange looking curved antenna on the front of his helmet, which seemed to twitch as well.

Next to Bulkhead, he looked positively minuscule. In fact, Bulkhead could only see the top of his body over his own large chassis.

"Aw hey, little guy!" said Bulkhead, smiling. "Did you get separated from your tour group or something? I'll help you find your teaching unit... newly protoformed kids like you shouldn't be wandering about on their own!"

The smaller Autobot's optic twitched, and seconds later, Bulkhead found the tiny robot standing on his front hull and pulling on his jaw plate.

_"WHO THE PIT ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE GUY?!"_ the yellow mech raged. _"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PROTOFORM SO SMALL HE COULD PASS FOR A MINI-CON?! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, I'M LIKE A TINY LITTLE MECHLING WHOSE LESS SIGNIFICANT THAN A SCRAPLET?! I'M WEDGE, YOU GIANT MUDFLAP! I'LL SEE YOU THROWN IN THE STOCKADE FOR SLANDER! I'LL-"_

"Wedge! Down boy!"

The bewildered Bulkhead soon found a pair of servos yanking "Wedge" off of his hull, and setting the flailing, frothing Autobot down on the ground. It took a moment for Bulkhead to get his wits back, but when he did...

... he found his optics widening. Standing before him was another robot that was smaller than he was, but not nearly as tiny as her colleague. She had the same body mold as his friend Bumblebee, but was clearly a femmebot. Her colors were blue and silver, with yellow markings. She was carrying a data pad, which she carried close to her chest-plate, and had a concerned, somewhat uncomfortable expression on her face.

And Bulkhead couldn't help but stare at her, transfixed.

"Hmph," grunted Wedge, "Glyph... it's not often that you venture out of your laboratory. What are you doing messing with my affairs?"

"Glyph" sighed, and shook her head. "Wedge, you may be the resident 'prodigy', but that's no reason to accost Mr. Bulkhead like this," she said, sounding as though she'd had to deal with issues like this before. On numerous occasions.

"I am 'accosting' him because everyone thinks this over sized lummox is a space bridge genius," Wedge retorted, looking at Bulkhead with disdain. "Look at him, does that look like someone who could be classified as having more than a 10 watt mega-processor?"

Glyph looked back at Bulkhead, who had something of a dumb smile and a blank look on his face.

"... That doesn't change the fact that his test scores are unprecedented," said Glyph, who felt somewhat put upon. "Really, Wedge, someone else getting credit for a change doesn't mean they're a threat to you."

Wedge just hmphed. "I'll see what Perceptor has to say, then, when the Guild is working out who will receive grants in the coming stellar cycle," he said, transforming into his vehicle mode: a small vehicle that looked like an Earthling bulldozer. "You know, I hear that the archaeology department might be getting their funding scaled back this time..."

Glyph's optics widened, but before she could reply to that, Wedge drove off. She let out a sad sigh, and turned back towards Bulkhead. "Sorry about that," she said. "Wedge is a bit... well, okay, he's _really_ hard to know sometimes..."

And then she saw that Bulkhead was still staring at her with that dumb, happy look.

"... Um," said Glyph, in confusion, "are you okay?"

A moment passed before Bulkhead snapped out of it, and he laughed nervously, rubbing the pack of his head. "Oh yeah...! Um, I'm fine... I'm just kinda... overwhelmed about everything... being the toast of the Science Guild and all, yannow... bein' bothandled by some pipsqueak..."

Glyph managed a small smile. "That's alright," she said, shying back a little. "Um, I'm Glyph... part of the archaeology department... it's a pleasure to meet you..."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "Um... that is... I... well, you seem kinda nice, and..."

Glyph's optics widened, and she felt a bit of heat rising beneath her faceplate. She suddenly looked more self conscious, and shied back a bit more. "Um, thank you," she said softly. "But I'd better be going... I have a lot of work to do..."

"Oh hey!" exclaimed Bulkhead. "You do? Could I come along...? I mean, archeology sounds interesting!"

Glyph looked up, startled. "Y-you really think so?" she asked, before managing another small smile. "Th-thank you... I'm honored someone like you w-would show an interest..."

Bulkhead grinned. "Hey, don't talk like that," he said. "I'm just a guy. I put my armor on one plate at a time, same as anybody!"

Glyph chuckled. "Alright then. Um, this way, then... Bulkhead...!"

With that, Glyph turned to lead him to her office. Bulkhead happily followed along, feeling for the first time happy to be where he was that day.

* * *

**"You are a protoform who was previously protected by the Cyber Ninja Corps here on Planet Cybertron. That is, until you and your fellow protoforms were stolen by the traitor Lockdown, who we now know collected them as part of a business arrangement with the Decepticon leader Megatron."**

Sari looked up, uneasily, at the massive computer that Perceptor was working on. The screen was displaying images of the Cyber Ninja dojo and Yoketron... from both before and after the massacre that Prowl had described after their last run in with Lockdown. She had been somewhat disconnected from the story when Prowl told it, but hearing those events described, seeing the images of both her place of origin, and the Autobot who once protected her... it left a hollow, sick feeling in her heart.

"So... that's how I ended up on Megatron's ship...?" asked Sari, clutching a hand to her chest.

**"Indeed,"** said Perceptor, calling up an image of Megatron and the Decepticon ship, the Nemesis. The latter was shown in the state she'd seen it in... crashed on the moon's surface. **"Without access to the Allspark, Megatron repeatedly used these protoforms to bolster the Decepticon ranks after the end of the war. And furthermore, we know that his former subordinate, Starscream, used a number of them in cloning experiments."**

"Wait wait wait," said Sari, standing up. "Are you telling me I'm _related_ to a bunch of Decepticons...?!"

Perceptor turned and gave her a flat look. **"The concept of relation for Cybertronians is rather fluid. Particularly, it is usually only used in reference to a split protoform, or a spark that is divided upon activa-"**

"Ugh," said Sari, holding up her hands. "Nevermind. so this explains how I got to Earth in the first place... but how did I end up in my dad's lab?"

**"That question brings us to what I wanted to show you,"** said Perceptor, calling up some new data. **"We have been able to acquire the navigation and security data for the Nemesis from the wreckage on planet Earth's moon. It appears that the ship, and thus your fellow protoforms, were in space, 1,876.5 lightyears away from earth at the time of your supposed discovery by your father... not crash-landed on earth, as you previously believed."**

Sari's eyes widened, and she stood up with a start. "Th-that's impossible! I had to have gotten to earth somehow! You said I was one of those protoforms, right?!"

"Indeed," answered Perceptor. **"The pod you came back with, the one that your parental unit discovered, is indeed one of the stasis pods used to preserve the protoforms under Yoketron's protection."**

"Then how the heck did I get to earth if the Nemesis wasn't anywhere near the planet?!" she exclaimed.

Light glinted across Perceptor's visor. **"Patience. The answer lies in this security video."**

Perceptor called up said video, and Sari looked up at it intently. She saw the chamber where she, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee had discovered the other Protoforms. Starscream was also there, looking rather frayed and unhinged. The Decepticon stopped to look at one of the protoforms, grimacing in disgust, before walking onward, scratching his servo's claws against his rear plating.

"... Am I supposed to be looking at something other than Starscream scratching his butt?" Sari asked.

**"Again, patience."**

Sari scowled, but nodded, continuing to watch the video display. Nothing happened for several moments longer... until the scene started to drastically change.

A bright light filled the screen, as what appeared to be a space bridge portal opened _right in the middle of the chamber._ And then, to Sari's even greater surprise, _someone_ stepped out of it, as though it were the easiest thing in the world. At this point, the image began to scramble, but she could make out the form of a large white, purple, and gold transformer, with what appeared to be wings and a sword. Whomever he was, he touched his hand to the same pod Starscream had been scrutinizing before... and then moments later, both it and the pod vanished along with the portal.

"... what... what does this mean...?" asked Sari, mystified. "Who... who was that...?"

**"Unknown,"** replied Perceptor, in emotionless monotone. **"But whomever he is, he has the ability to open space bridges willingly. More than likely, he was the one that brought you to the planet Earth."**

Sari looked at the Autobot scientist, obviously troubled. "Are you saying that someone meant for all of that to happen...?!"

Perceptor nodded. **"Indeed. For whatever reason, some unknown party sought to ensure that you arrived on Earth. There, your protoform collapsed into a form resembling that of indigenous life forms, and was reset to scan data from organics rather than mechanical life forms. This individual did far more than allow you to meet your father, Sari. They ensured that you took the form you are in now... a hybrid of Transformer and human life... a being like no other in the known universe."**

Sari just gaped, and sat down. It was all too much to take in... she had known something was fishy about her birth even after they'd found the other protoforms on Megatron's ship, but now...

Rather than answers, Sari now had even more questions running through her head.

* * *

"I must have a dozen screws loose," remarked Bumblebee.

The yellow Autobot was working at a security panel... in a place he shouldn't have even been in. This sector was forbidden, and Bumblebee had barely been able to get past the security patrols that kept people out. But he had to get a look at what was inside the building he was breaking into. He needed to see it. He needed... closure.

And with a spark from one his stingers, he finally succeeded in an override that got the door open. Bumblebee scrambled inside before he could be noticed... and entered the Cyber Ninja Dojo.

Once he was in, he instantly saw the similarities in style to Prowl's old room back on earth. That brought a pang of regret to Bumblebee's spark, as he remembered his friend... the times he'd heckled Prowl for letting an organic tree grow in his room. The times he'd annoyed the ninjabot by sneaking in without asking and then bothering him.

It was then that Bumblebee realized his and Prowl's interaction involved a lot of him being annoying and Prowl yelling at him.

Then he realized something else. Prowl had told them that Lockdown had basically sacked this place, but now it was in pristine condition. He knew no one was using it, so why was it all fixed up like this?

... Eh. The other Cyber Ninjas probably wanted to restore the memory of this place, even if no one was using it. It was impractical, but he could see why a bunch of stuffy mumbo jumbo ninja bots would want to keep it preserved...

... And Bumblebee instantly felt guilty for thinking that, as though it were he was spilling crude oil on Prowl's memory.

He sighed, and moved further into the dojo... eventually coming to a room that made the small Autobot gasp. Mounted throughout this chamber were holographic busts of assorted Autobots; a whos who of Cybertronian warriors and heroes. He instantly scrambled forward, like a protoform meeting his idols.

"Tap Out!" Bumblebee exclaimed at the sight of the first mech he recognized. He had followed the boxer's career since he'd come on-line. Who could forget his match with... Oh, by the Allspark, there was also a bust of Star Upper, Tap Out's greatest rival and the bot he'd defeated in the Ultimate Iron Warrior tournament from way back when. And there was Star Saber, the warden of Trypticon prison, the famed hunter Devcon... even Ultra Magnus! Every single one of them was legendary in their own way.

As Bumblebee was fanboying over the busts of Roadhandler and Grandus, recalling the match where the former defeated the latter in a match, earning himself the title of "The Micromaster"... Bumblebee noticed something out of the corner of his optics.

It was a bust of Prowl.

Bumblebee approached it cautiously, as though it were the real Prowl in front of him. He stared at it for a long time, before bowing his head. His servos shook, and the young mech grit his teeth....

... before punching outward, slamming his fist into the wall as it went right through the holographic display. He looked at the statue with anger and sadness, his whole body shaking.

"Why?!" Bumblebee screamed. "Why did you have to go and die on us?! That's not... that's not the way things are supposed to happen! We were all supposed to be okay...!"

Bumblebee collapsed onto his knees, but his anger didn't subside. "You were always lecturing me, acting like I didn't know anything! Treating me like a kid. B-but you were trying to make me stop being such an idiot, weren't you?! You and the others always knew better... and I always kept making the same mistakes. Now Optimus is Cybertron's biggest hero... and Bulkhead's some genius. Ratchet's got his friend back, and Sari... Sari's finally getting answers..."

He looked up, staring at the holographic memory of Prowl. "I'm left behind, Prowl... I was always talking about how fast I was, but what did I really do? I screwed up Wasp's entire life, and now I'm just spinning my wheels! Everyone's moving forward, and I'm just stuck here... What am I supposed to do?! The docbot won't give me a lecture, and you're gone, so what the slag am I supposed to do?!"

And then suddenly, all the lights in the dojo went black.

Bumblebee scrambled to his feet. He looked around wildly, but all he could see was blackness. "U-um," he called out. "I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't be here, I just needed to see what my friend was all about..."

As his voice trailed off, Bumblebee heard no answer. He grit his teeth, and started to fumble around to find a way out... when he smacked into something large and heavy. Bumblebee looked up in confusion...

... and screamed, as he saw the glowing outline of face looking down on him. There two optics and a mouth twisted into what appeared to be a rictus grin, an intense fiery light burning out of all three points. Then, more parts of the mech continued to light up, as though there was simmering heat beneath his armor plating. With his form illuminated, Bumblebee could see that he was big.

_Decepticon_ big.

_"What's wrong, little Autobot? Are you afraid of the dark?!"_

Bumblebee didn't answer. Instead, he transformed and sped off, directionless and driven by fright. He couldn't see where he was going... and smacked into another glowing object appeared in his path.

This one was not framed by glowing, fiery panel lines. Instead, he let off a sickly, radioactive glow that revealed multiple glowing chemical tanks built into his body. His head resembled what happened when you stripped a mech's faceplate and helmet off, revealing a monstrous visage not unlike a human skull.

_"Allow us to provide a nightlight for you, little mechling!"_

Bumblebee backed up, only to end up running into the other one. Bumblebee jerked his vehicle mode forward and twisted himself to the side, hitting a wall. _Oh slag,_ he thought. He was in a corridor, trapped, quite literally caught between two... two monsters!

"That's enough, Blight, Brimstone..."

Suddenly, the lights were back on. Bumblebee could see his attackers clearly now... They were both large, hulking mechs. The first one had two cannons that looked like they served as flamethrowers or mortar launchers. Meanwhile, while the second looked like he transformed into a mobile chemical plant, and the bot's armor armor looked like it'd suffered from heavy radiation damage and corrosion.

Emblazoned on both of them were Decepticon symbols.

Before Bumblebee could properly react, something new dropped down from above. This mech was taller, but thinner in comparison to the others. He had bat-like wings on his back, clawed hands, and his head seemed to be covered by a sort of battle-mask that resembled some kind of monster. He too wore a Decepticon symbol.

But before Bumblebee could scream, the mech's mask flipped down, covering his chest, and the Decepticon reached out and grabbed Bumblee by the chin, his eyes glowing ominously.

"Hello, little Autobot," the third Decepticon stated. "My name... _is Mindwipe."_

**_TO BE CONTINUED_**

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

Well, that was a fun ride. I've been working on this story, or at least, had the ideas for it for quite some time. I know it's not the most original of ideas, but the chance to pick up where the _Transformers Animated_ series left off is a temptiing one. I liked the finale, but there were so many mysteries left unsolved, so much potential for things to continue. That said, I hope I can do the series justice.

For the record, in regards to all of the OCs... as this is the introduction to the world I'm trying to create - or rather expand upon - some characters have been neccessary to add to the mythos. Mindwipe there at the end is based on the G1 character of the same name, and you'll be finding out just why he's on Cybertron. Everyone else, save for Blight and Brimstone, are based on existing Transformers characters, but they won't be stealing scenes from the main characters. Some, like First Aid and Checkpoint, won't even be reappearing at all. Other stories will feature OCs as needed, or appear in stories that show what's going on outside of the main cast. Even then, though, I need to find a decent rhythm and keep from introducing too many plot elements at once. This first chapter just has quite a few cuz... well, first chapter.

Other notes... Warpath and Glyph are background/minor characters from the show who had their backstories fleshed out in bios featured in the Transformers Collectors Club magazine. They are given expanded roles here... because I had a good idea for Glyph and I thought Warpath would suit what I'm doing with Megatron. Keep your eyes peeled folks.

That said, I hope you look forward to chapter two. Just what trouble is Bee in this time? What will Optimus decide? What's happening to Sari? Will Bulkhead get the girl?

Does Captain Fanzone hate machines for completely upstaging him?

See you next time folks. Please enjoy these bios I've written for the supplementary characters appearing in the story.

* * *

**Name: Padlock**  
Function: Security  
"What you lock up, I keep in!"

Padlock has served under Warpath and Star Saber for a long time. In all those years, he's seen a lot of things that would trouble any other mech, both from the prisoners and from their jailers. Nevertheless, Padlock has managed to keep up a level of relative optimism, and hasn't let the darkness of his job darken his view of the world. He himself is a fair and just security guard, but he also knows his place and knows that he can't exactly change things on his own. Nevertheless, he's able to get tough when his job requires him to, and is quick to use his stasis shock-rod, which is capable of locking a foe into vehicle mode when it is used at full power.

Abilities:  
* Transforms into a light-armored cargo transport.  
* Enforcer rod locks enemies into vehicle mode.  
* Decryption processor allows him to create and break effective locks.

**Name: Hound**  
Function: Deputy Warden  
"No one can escape justice."

During the Great War, Hound was in charge of tracking enemy combatants, as well as deserters and traitors to the Autobot cause. By the time the war ended, he had seen his share of tragedy and carnage, and once the war ended, he was eager to retire his position in peace. However, when Star Saber requested Hound take a position as his second-in-command at Trypticon Prison, he felt he had to accept, in order to help safeguard the peace he fought so long for. Unfortunately, Hound is at odds with many of the policies inside the prison, and often butts heads with Warpath, who is responsible for much of them. Nevertheless, Hound diligently forges on, hoping for the day when he sees his goals realized.

Abilities:

* Transforms into all-terrain vehicle.  
* Advanced sensory systems, allowing him to pick up distant sounds, hack enemy radio signals, identify and trace heat signatures, etc.  
* Trained in boxing by the Cyber-Ninja Tap-Out.

**Name: Sunstreaker** (created by Teal)  
Function: Elite Guard Cavalier  
"Aren't I just brilliant?"

Many wonder how an Autobot like Sunstreaker could make it into the Elite Guard. He's vain and more focused on keeping his reputation and chassis sterling than actually helping anyone. Few realize just how true the term "beauty is only armor-thick" is with a bot like Sunstreaker - he earned his position by stepping on everyone below him, as well as by lying, cheating, and bribing anyone who could help him along - and that's just scratching the surface. It's no surprise that he works well with bots like Sentinel Prime, but even he would be disgusted if he knew just what sort of things Sunstreaker is capable of to get his way. Nevertheless, Sunstreaker guards his secrets well, and only time will tell if anyone ever starts to see him for what he is.

Abilities:  
* Transforms into a high-speed racing vehicle.  
* Can absorb solar-radiation and fire it back in the form of a destructive beam.  
* Agile and incredibly light on his feet.

**Name: Checkpoint**  
Function: Peace-Keeping Officer  
"No one gets through me!"

While many Autobots have the ambition of going into the military, Checkpoint wanted to join Cybertron's planetary peace-keeping force from the day he was protoformed. After graduating boot camp, he signed up for Cybertron's police force, and made officer in relatively short time, distinguishing himself from the other enlistees and in-service-from-protoform Autotroopers that he worked alongside. He is thus trusted with many high-profile assignments, working security for everything from meetings of the Autobot council to dangerous criminal transfers.

Abilities:  
* Transforms into high-speed pursuit vehicle.  
* Wields an energy-riot shield that he can extend to form a roadblock.  
* Commander of personal Autotrooper squad.

**Name: First Aid**  
Function: Caretaker  
"A standard-unit of caring is worth a kilo-unit of cure."

Unlike Autobots like Ratchet, First Aid never experienced the horrors of war personally. Rather than work as a field medic during the Great War, it was his job to patch up those who made it back from the front lines. What he did see was the effects it had on his patients, and as a result, he took on a warm, caring personae to ease their trauma. He continues his work to this day in the Cybertron Central Infirmary, working with those who were permanently damaged during the war, as well as with Autobots who return home injured from missions in deep space. First Aid works both as a surgeon and as a rehabilitation technician.

Abilities:  
* Arms contain built in surgical tools.  
* Skilled surgeon and counselor.

**Name: Wedge**  
Function: Architect  
"Who are you calling small?!

A prodigy and member of the Autobot Science Guild. Wedge is easily angered and is extremely sensitive about his small size. He is noted for his many architectural achievements, and has designed the Elite Guard headquarters, Fortress Maximus. He leads his own research unit, aptly named the Build Team.

Abilities:  
* Stronger than his size might indicate.  
* Arms allow him to manipulate and reshape the structure of metals.  
* Destructive temper.


	2. Chapter 02: Shadow Walk

**Transformers Animated: Return to Cybertron  
Chapter 02 - Shadow Walk**

**EDIT - THIS CHAPTER HAD A PROBLEM WITH QUOTATION MARKS BEING REMOVED. THESE HAVE BEEN RESOLVED. I APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT JAPPENED PRIOR.  
**

**Transformers Animated is the property of Hasbro and Takara-Tomy. This fic is completely non-profit and exists for my own personal use and amusement. No infringement on the rights of the original creators is intended.**

**Sunstreaker as portrayed in this story is based on a concept created by Teal. I did not create this version of the character. All other OCs are my creation, save for those elements based on existing Transformers characters from other series.**

_Written By: Razorsaw_

_To deny fate is to walk in darkness._

It wasn't that Megatron _liked_ his new accommodations. Far from it, in fact. He just knew that they bore no threat to him.

Warpath had realized this from the start, and it disturbed him greatly. The Decepticon leader had been in Trypticon prison for less than a solar cycle, and he had already begun to make Warpath feel like he was being undermined. And so, he watched the security camera footage of Megatron, analyzing his every move and looking for a sign of weakness... and all the Decepticon did was sit quietly in his cell.

Megatron was not going to be a model prisoner. This, Warpath knew. But he wasn't going to allow this Decepticon to make a fool of him either. Warpath was going to _break_ this monster. He was going to prove his own superiority over the villain who'd defeated him massacred so many of his comrades...

"Warpath, the variable voltage harness is ready."

Warpath rose from his seat, and turned to face Padlock. "Great," he said, in a sadistically happy tone. "Get Megatron to the chamber. It's time to _have some fun! Kapow!"_

* * *

The variable voltage harness was a torture device. Anyone who was hooked up to it would have their pain receptors stimulated with electrical charges of varying intensity. The higher the setting went, the more painful it would be for the bot hooked up to it, and prolonged exposure to it could cause a Cybertronian's mental pathways to degrade. These facts made it the kind of device that Autobot command didn't want the public finding out about.

It was also one of Warpath's favorite devices. He'd used it on that traitor who'd been thrown into the stockade from boot camp. Warpath hadn't gotten any information, but he'd broken that piece of scrap.

And now, the voltage harness was proving itself to be one of the few things that could make Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, scream in agony.

"Where is the new Decepticon command base?" Warpath demanded.

Megatron's only reply was a shriek of pain. The dial went up.

"What are the locations of the Decepticon Generals of Destruction?"

No answer. Warpath intensified the harness's power.

"What were your final orders to the Decepticon army before being captured?"

Only more screaming, which beget even greater punishment from the harness. Megatron never wavered. Never gave Warpath any information, or even so much of an inkling of it. In the end, the security chief slammed his fist into the control panel and shut it off.

"Padlock, get this piece of trash back to his cell. _BLAMMO!_" he ordered.

Without a word, Padlock complied.

* * *

"My my, lord Megatron, you look absolutely fabulous!"

The words of the Starscream clone Ramjet managed to annoy Megatron even as he lumbered past his cell in a weary haze. He had held his ground, but the interrogation session had taken his toll on him physically. However, even in this state, he was able to see the pained looks in Lugnut and Shockwave's optics as he was led past their cells.

Good. His recent defeat hadn't done anything to shake their faith in him. They were still usable.

Soon, both he and his Autobot escort reached his cell. Despite his recent ordeal, the Decepticon smirked. He sat down on the stool provided him, and sat there calmly as Padlock... disabled his stasis cuffs. Then, the young Autobot opened the side of Megatron's helm, inserting a device into Megatron's comm unit.

"My task is complete," said Padlock, stepping back. "There will be no trace of this Autobot's sabotage, Lord Megatron. Mindwipe sends his regards."

"Ah yes, do thank Mindwipe for me," Megatron responded, sitting back and rubbing his wrist joints. "I do appreciate him taking time out of his latest project to assist me."

Padlock left without another word. Several cycles later, he would snap out of it with no idea of what he'd done. Satisfied with the results, he activated the device that the security officer had installed.

_[Can you all hear me?]_ he transmitted, without aid of his vocal processor.

_[Lord Megatron! At last we can communicate! Our glorious rise from the ashes can now begin!]_ Lugnut, obviously.

_[My my! This is truly a remarkable innovation! May I just say, Lord Megatron, that you are truly inspiring even in the wake of such an inglorious defeat!]_ The sniveling, sycophantic spiel told Megatron that this was these were the words of the Starscream clone called Sunstorm.

_[I can't hear anything! All I'm doing is talking to myself!]_ Ramjet again.

_**[OOOOO! NOW I HAVE NEW VOICES IN MY HEAD! THIS SHOULD BE FUN!]**_ And that could only be Blitzwing.

As could be expected, it was Shockwave that was the first to say something semi-useful. _[It is good that we had other agents on Cybertron besides myself, lord Megatron. Mindwipe and his men have been assisting me since I was first installed as a double agent. I knew they would come through for us.]_

_[Hm.]_ replied Megatron. _[Don't be so quick to commend him, Shockwave. He only assists us when it's convenient for him. You helped his little band stay hidden under the Decepticons' nose, and in return, he has aided us in eking out this modicum of subterfuge. To him, all debts have been squared, and he owes us nothing. Even for a Decepticon, Mindwipe and the rest of his order are truly only loyal to their own ambition... they're just smarter about it than the likes of Starscream.]_

_[Starscream is a paragon of loyalty and devotion! I am so happy to be derived from him!]_

_[Yes, that's very nice, Ramjet,]_ transmitted Shockwave, patronizingly. _[So, Megatron, we have full mobility now. I trust we will begin our escape attempt?]_

_[Yes!]_ Lugnut. _[These pitiful Autobots will learn that these walls cannot contain the majesty of Megatron! We will bust out, and-]_

_[Silence. We're not going anywhere.]_

At that, the communication lines went dead silent. That is, until...

_[I LIKE THIS PLAN!]_ announced Ramjet.

* * *

Jazz didn't like coming back to the cyber ninja dojo. Once, it had been a place where dreams could be realized, where Autobots with great aptitude and talent could come into their own... Now it was just a painful reminder of things that were lost, and Jazz wasn't the kind of person who liked to dwell. He _especially_ disliked being forced to do so.

But when he'd been called about a break-in, he knew he had to be there.

"I'm sorry to have asked you you here, Jazz," said Star Saber, Jazz's senior and the warden of Trypticon prison. "But unfortunately, I can't get in contact with anyone else. Cliffjumper is busy on council business, and regarding the order... Tap Out and Star Upper are out on the fighting circuit again, and most of the others are off-planet on various missions..."

"It's all good, Saber," he said, addressing his senior with familiarity. "I mean, not like I'm doin' anything between chillin' and Sentinel trying to get me court martialed."

"Oh, how's that turning out?"

"Mudslinger threw out that turkey's case earlier this solar cycle."

Star Saber had to laugh at that, but as they entered a particular portion of the dojo, he quickly grew serious. So did Jazz.

"The break in was detected eight megacycles ago," Star Saber said gravely. "I got called in after Prowl's funeral to check it out, but when I got back, whomever had been here was already gone. But, well, as you can see, they left us quite a bit to look at...."

"Grody scene, man," Jazz replied, followed by a whistle. As Star Saber appeared befuddled by Jazz's use of an earth euphemism, Jazz stepped forward for a closer look. There were skid marks on the floor, burns on the walls... and portions of both that had been _melted._

"Whoever broke in found some serious trouble. A real trip to Nowheresville..."

"And you all still haven't put the pieces together? I'm almost disappointed in you Cyber Ninjas."

Jazz and Star Saber spun around at the sound of a new voice... and saw a blue, yellow, and orange mech standing there. He had a demolitionist body type, but the flamethrowers had been removed in favor of holders for two sets of stasis cuffs. The Autobot's head reminded Jazz of things he'd seen while studying earth culture - particularly, old earth detective shows. His helmet looked almost like a fedora, with two backwards pointing antennae, and his optics looked similar to a set of eyepieces that were referred to as sunglasses.

"Who are you?" Star Saber demanded, narrowing his optics. "This dojo is a secure facility. Who authorized you to be here?"

"Nightbeat, from Section Alpha-31 of the high command," the Autobot stated, flashing a badge marked with an Autobot symbol that differed from the norm, in that there was a sword through the middle. "You fellas look like you've got a real mess here, but don't worry. Nightbeat's on the case."

Jazz and Star Saber both paused at that. Section Alpha-31... it was a branch of the military that existed outside the rank and file of the Autobot army. Every Cyber Ninja had been scouted by the group, and only one had been accepted: the hunter, Devcon, who had been underground for stellar cycles. Alpha-31 was thus an enigma to a group that _thrived_ on being enigmas _themselves._

"I see," growled Star Saber, hiding his annoyance and suspicion rather poorly. "Then I'd be interested in your... "assessment" of the scene."

Nightbeat grinned at that, and strode forward into the ravaged part of the corridor. "Well, first of all, there was more than one intruder. And there was a fight... course, both of things would be obvious to anyone.

"This is obviously the work of someone using a chemical agent," he stated, gesturing to the melted areas. "I'd guess some kind of corrosive, radioactive agent.

"And there are two types of burn marks on the wall," Nightbeat continued. "You can tell by their coloration... the blackened ones were caused by some sort of incendiary weapon. Flamethrowers, more than likely. The others are electrical burns. You can tell by their narrower scorch radius, and the blue scarring they left on the metal. I'm guessing they were caused by an energy stinger-type weapon. I'd hazard a guess that he was the one being attacked, and judging by the damage done to the security panel outside, he was the original intruder as well."

Energy stingers? That certainly got Jazz's attention. Of course, his first thought was a long shot. Bumblebee's body type was a common one. But, then again, he had a tenuous connection to the dojo through Prowl...

"I believe that sums it up. We're looking for at least one Autobot with energy stingers, and two unknown entities with incendiary and chemical warfare capabilities."

"You missed something," Star Saber replied curtly.

Nightbeat looked offended. "Balderdash. What could I have possibly-"

Star Saber gestured, silently, towards the ceiling. Nightbeat blinked his optics and looked up, following where the Cyber Ninja was pointing... and found claw marks etched into the metal's surface.

"... Ah yes. Those. Hrm."

Nightbeat's reaction non-withstanding, the implication was clear. There had been four mechs present in the dojo. And now, they were gone.

And Jazz was starting to think there was more going on than a simple break-in.

* * *

Sari sighed as she sat underneath a structure in the Cyber City square, careful to avoid being seen. After leaving the Science Guild and Perceptor, she had headed off on her own, trying to process everything the science-bot had told her. It was a lot to take in... Not only was she not a normal human girl, a hybrid of Transformer and human life, but apparently her creation - no, her _birth_ - was due to some unknown person. Someone whose true intentions she had no idea of.

She hated not knowing what other people knew about her. But unlike her father, there was no one to get angry at. No one to get answers from. Not without knowing the identity of the transformer in that video...

"Even when times are sad, don't feel down! Just be glad, and take away that frown!"

Sari nearly jumped up at the sound of a much larger being's voice. She stood up and looked around, seeing an orange and gray Autobot leaning against the structure she was using to hide. He wasn't that big, actually. In fact, he looked smaller than Bumblebee, and with a helm that looked like a human child's ball cap, he appeared rather young as well. Well, for a Transformer.

But the thing that stood out the the most was the absolutely unnerving smile he was wearing on his face.

"Um, hi," said Sari, nervously. "You... aren't going to try and squish me now, are you?"

"Oh, that would be sick! I'm Wheelie, friend to all things, metal or organic!

Sari quirked an eyebrow. "Did... did you just rhyme all of that?"

Wheelie giggled, pushing off of the sculpture and putting one of his hands up in a wave. "Though I've been around only a very short time, I often find excuse to rhyme! But it's not about me, so please, share your problems with Wheelie!"

Okay, yeah, this was really weird. Sari stepped back a few feet. "Um, I'd like to, but I'm meeting two of my friends here soon. They should be around any minute."

Wheelie seemed saddened by this, and he sighed. "Aw, that's too bad. I have to admit, I'm quite sad. But I can deal with it, hope you and your friends make a game of it!"

And so, the bizarre little Autobot began walking off, mumbling childishly to himself. Sari stared at the strange bot until he was out of view, wondering just... what made an Autobot like that. He didn't _seem_ like he was that bad, and he appeared rather young, but at the same time... the rhyming didn't sound like childish sing song. It sounded like there was something... _off_ about him.

"Hey Sari!"

Sari really did jump this time. She landed on her feet, and quickly wheeled around on one heel to yell at her friend, having recognized it as Bumblebee's voice.

"Bumblebee! Don't scare me like- ...that?!"

Sure enough, it was Bumblebee standing before her. But it wasn't Bumblebee as she usually knew him. His armor was now colored completely differently. Though there was still quite a bit of yellow, it was a more gold-like shade, and it was combined with black and silver. And then there was what was on his chest...

"Elite Guard symbols?! Bumblebee, what the heck happen-"

"Shhhh!" Bumblebee hissed, leaning down close to where Sari was and pressing one of his finger servos to Sari's mouth in order to silence her. "Keep it down! They're not real...!"

Uh oh. That wasn't good. "Bumblebee," Sari hissed quietly, drawing away, "what are you doing _pretending to be a member of the Elite Guard?!"_

"No time for that now," Bumblebee said, before transforming into his vehicle mode. "I'll explain on the way, alright? Get in!"

Sari gave her friend an odd look, before sighing and climbing in on the driver's side. "Fine, but can you at least tell me _something about what you're doing?!"_

Bumblebee started driving, and then replied giddily, "I've found a way to bring him back, Sari!"

Sari's eyes widened. "Bring him back? B-bring who back...?"

"Prowl! I've found a way to bring back Prowl!:

* * *

Optimus had no idea what to do. Just megacycles before, he'd been asked by the Autobot council to succeed Ultra Magnus as the leader of the Autobots. Little over a stellar cycle ago, he'd been a disgraced academy washout leading a repair crew, and now... now he was being asked to become Magnus?! It was a large set of plate armor to fill...

The young Autobot sighed, looking out the window of the room he'd been given in the Metroplex. He didn't like being given special treatment, but at the same time, he needed someplace to be alone to think. He was weighing options in his mind, considering the reasons to accept, and the reasons to refuse. Of course, the foremost thought on his mind was that Cybertron would indeed need a new leader if Ultra Magnus could never return to full strength. But on the other hand...

However, he found himself jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. He knew he should have locked it. The Prime turned around, preparing to address his visitor... only for his optics to widen at the sight of who it was.

"... Sentinel..."

The blue Autobot stared back at Optimus, a grave look on his face. Optimus."

Neither of them said anything for a while after that. Optimus stood there, shuffling his stabilizing servos in a nervous manner, while Sentinel glared daggers at him. Optimus's optics were fixed on the ground for what seemed like the longest time, but eventually, he looked up, and began to talk. "Look, Sentinel, you've probably heard-!"

But he never finished the sentence. Instead, he was interrupted by Sentinel's fist _slamming into his jaw._

Optimus's body fell back with a crash. He looked up, a mixture of anger and rage on his faceplate. "What the slag was that for?!" he demanded, getting up and balling his hands into fists.

Sentinel didn't answer. He just came at Optimus again, swinging high this time, only for Optimus to grab it in mid-swing. Sentinel's optics widened, but he began to retaliate...

... only for the other Prime to prove faster, slamming a fist into Sentinel's mid-section. Sentinel gave a grunt of pain, feeling his internal gearing seizing up. But he didn't linger. He fought back.

"I've worked hard from the moment I came on-line! But no, everything comes naturally to god ol' Optimus!" Sentinel roared, striking Optimus across the face.

"Worked hard?! You're only in the Elite Guard _now_ because I covered for you! Twice!" Optimus responded, driving his knee up into Sentinel's chest.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" screamed Sentinel, before striking Prime's forehead with a headbutt. "I've done some dodgy things sure, but I always fought to get ahead! I made it into the Academy! I made it into the Elite Guard! I never asked for you to be so slagging self-sacrificing!"

Optimus recovered quickly, and caught two more punches from the other Autobot, grappling with him. "And how did you repay me, huh Sentinel?! You embarrass me at every opportunity, and when I trusted you with leading Cybertron, you made a mockery of everything we Autobots believe in!"

_"I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT CYBERTRON!_" shrieked Sentinel, charging forward and slamming Prime into the wall. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY I DON'T LOVE MY PLANET! DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT I DON'T BELIEVE IN THE AUTOBOT CAUSE!"

Optimus let out a bitter laugh at that. "The only... thing you love Sentinel... the only thing _you believe in _ is yourself!"

And that triggered something in Sentinel. He relented for a moment, and stared at Optimus, with a slack jawed expression. But then he snapped, and he wrenched his arms free from Optimus's servos, and threw wild punch after wild punch at Optimus's chest-plate. His attacks were uncoordinated and sloppy, but fast, strong, and unhinged.

_"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!_ YOU ALWAYS GOT THE ATTENTION IN THE ACADEMY! OUR INSTRUCTORS ALWAYS CHOSE YOU FOR EVERY EXERCISE, EVERY MISSION! 'OPTIMUS IS THE HERO!' 'OPTIMUS WILL BE IN THE ELITE GUARD SOME DAY!' OPTIMUS WILL SUCCEED AT EVERYTHING!' YOU WERE THEIR GOLDEN BOT! THEY WORSHIPED YOU! THEY LOVED YOU! _**SHE** LOVED YOU!"_

With that last word, Sentinel's fist impacted with the wall, only inches away from from Optimus's head. The red and blue Prime stared at Sentinel, shocked at the words he'd just said... as Sentinel fell to his knees, head in his hands.

"... Sentinel," Optimus said after a long silence.

The other Autobot didn't reply.

Optimus stared at his friend (were they even still friends) kneeling on the floor and frowned. The anger he'd felt moments before had evaporated, and was now replaced by pity. He pushed himself off the wall, and walked past the blue Autobot, putting his back to his once and former colleague.

"I can't be blamed for... for you never telling me this, he replied, feeling a bit of static in his vocoder. I never set out to prove that I was better than you. If anything... back in the day, before everything happened, I always thought that the two of us were were equals. In a way, we still are. If anything, you've just shown me that you do have convictions... that you do have people, things you care about more than yourself..."

Optimus then shook his head.

"But all the same, you can't judge every one and every thing that sets you back in life, Sentinel. There's not a day that goes by I don't regret what happened to Elita. But when I did what I did, I didn't take the fall to protect you. I took the fall because I felt I owed it to her, not you."

"Are you scared, Sentinel?" Optimus finally asked. "That everyone will abandon you now? For spark's sake, you're an Autobot. History... the council... _Elita_... none of those people or things will ever vindicate you. I can never vindicate you. The only one who can do that is yourself. For your own sake, Sentinel... _get up and move forward."_

With that, Optimus strode forward, exiting the room. In a strange way, this incident with Sentinel had helped him realize something about himself, and brought him closer to the problems weighing on his spark.

He only hoped that it would do the same thing for the Autobot he once called his best friend.

* * *

Bulkhead hadn't felt _this_ good since the day he'd been promoted to an official space bridge technician, and that was saying something. He had only known Glyph for a very short time, but... there was just _something_ about her. It wasn't just that she was cute. She was adorable of course, but-

"Bulkhead? Are you listening?"

The big green Autobot was jarred out of his musings by Glyph's voice. "Um, my bad!" he said, flailing his massive arms for a bit. "I-I was thinkin' about somethin'..."

Glyph giggled softly. "That's fine. Anyway, I was just getting to this next thing I wanted to show you," she said, tapping away at her console's keypad. Bulkhead piqued an optic ridge and leaned down, looking over her shoulder. This ended up looking rather odd, what with their size difference..

"This is the data I've accumulated on the civilization on Archa-9," explained Glyph. "There was a big battle there during the Great War, with the Autobots and Decepticons fighting over a power source the locals called the Divine Light. The Autobots tried to protect the people there, but the whole campaign ravaged most of their civilization. All we know about it is the samples and records we've managed to recover..."

Bulkhead nodded. A long time ago, he would have been bored by this kind of thing, but Glyph... she had this way of making it sound so _alive._ The kind of way art and space bridge construction seemed alive to him..

"You've really put a lot of work into this," said Bulkhead, staring intently at the information on the screen.

"... Yeah," Glyph said, sadly. "Unfortunately, the Guild doesn't really see archeology as a very essential program. If I could just _visit_ Archa-9 and get a real look at what its people and their history have to offer, I could change a lot of minds..."

Bulkhead looked at her with a surprised expression. She had put a lot of emotion into those final words. "Change minds? Waddaya mean?"

"It's not just about the Guild," said Glyph, and Bulkhead could see the passion stirring in her eyes. "Haven't you seen how isolated we've become, Bulkhead? We Autobots keep to ourselves, but wave our authority out to the rest of the galaxy anyway! We don't even take the time to learn about other cultures! We barely even take the time to learn about _our own!_ If I could just show them a piece of another world... a piece of their history, and make them see it the way I do... I could work towards changing all of that!"

Bulkhead stood there, amazed at what Glyph had just told him. But then, his spark fell as she began to retreat back into herself.

"But who am I kidding? Archa-9 is a restricted organic planet... You need special dispensation to even go to that _sector._ And you heard Wedge earlier. My department may not even have funding by the end of this stellar cycle..."

Glyph's optics fixed themselves on her keyboard, and Bulkhead felt his spark sink further. His servos clenched into fists, and he knew what he had to do.

"Hey, what kind of talk is that?" he asked, shaking her chair a bit. "You know what they called me when I first started boot camp? A mudflap! Then there's my friend Bumblebee! Our sarge called him that cuz he thought he was just a bumbler! And our bossbot got thrown out of the Academy, but now everyone on Cybertron respects him! And the entire guild wants me, a big dumb gearhead, to help them out with the space bridge program! If we could come this far, think of what you could do! You just gotta _fight_ to prove yourself to everyone, Glyph!"

Glyph sat there, staring wide-opticed as Bulkhead's words started to sink in. As for Bulkhead, the larger Autobot could finally narrow down just why he felt he had a connection he felt to Glyph: She was like _him._ No one took her seriously, no one saw the talent she had to offer. She was feeling just like Bulkhead did when no one saw what he was really capable of.

At last, Glyph began to smile, feeling heat rising beneath her faceplate, turning her cheeks red. "Th-thank you Bulkhead... I-I will do that... th-thank you so much..."

Bulkhead could only smile, wrapping his arm around her. "Awww, it's no big deal... I'd do the same for anyone who was importan-"

And at that, he stopped mid-sentence.

Glyph blinked. "Bulkhead? Bulkhead, what's wrong?"

Bulkhead removed his arm, and ran for the door, shaking the room as he hurried along. "I forgot I was supposed to meet with Sari and Bumblebee! They're gonna think I ditched them!"

Glyph gaped as Bulkhead transformed and sped out the door. Then she realized what was going on, and quickly sprang out of her chair. "W-wait for me!" she cried, transforming into her own vehicle mode and speeding after him.

Several cycles later, they both blew out of the Guild building, passing two particular Autobots along the way.

"Where do you suppose _they're_ going in such a hurry?" the Autobot called Wheeljack asked his superior.

**"It is of no importance to us,"** said Perceptor. **"Now come, Wheeljack. We must analyze the Allspark, as Alpha Trion requested."**

* * *

'Elite Guardsbot Side Burn dates cyber-pop star Rosanna! Femmebots everywhere cry out in anguish' Oh yeah! I'm a stud!"

"You are the kind bolt that is for holding the metal plates together? I do not get it.

It is, how do you say, turning of the phrase brother. It means that he is being popular with the chick-bots."

"Oh. Then why was he not saying so?"

Side Burn, sighed as the twins Jetfire and Jetstorm debated the particulars of what he'd just told them. Side was a blue, lightly armored Autobot, with optics covered by a special six-slotted scouter. It was actually a sophisticated targeting mechanism, but more importantly, it looked _good_ on him. Clipped to his back was a shield that served as part of his vehicle mode and the energy crossbow he wielded in battle.

"Guys, guys, you're missing the important thing," he said, showing the twins his data pad, which had a Cybertron Network site called up. "I've finally hit the big time! My comings and goings are big news! Every femmebot on Cybertron wants to know what Side Burn's up to!"

Jetfire narrowed his optics, as he looked at the site Side Burn had pulled up. 'The Cyber City Courier?'

"Ah, that is the reporter site that is always making up the out landing stories, yes?" asked Jetstorm, just before he realized what that meant and glared at the other Guardsbot. "...Side Burn, are you sure that the story is real?"

Side Burn balked. Okay, he _had_ submitted the story himself, but he actually _had_ been on a date with Rosanna! "H-Hey, guys!" he shouted. "Sometimes they report real stuff! I'm dating, her honest! I can even introduce you to her!"

The flat look the twins gave him showed Side Burn just how much they believed his story. As their disapproving stares burned into the core of his spark, he felt his resolve slipping away.

And he relented. "You guys suck," Side Burn groaned, turning away.

"Be cheering up!" said Jetstorm, putting his arm around Side Burn's shoulder as he started to lead him out of the commons room, a sort of "break room" the young members of the Guard used to intermingle. "I'm sure you will be impressing the ladies one day!"

Side Burn just muttered to himself that he was already impressing them , causing Jetfire to laugh. However, in mid-laugh, he saw something pass by the door open frame. Jetfire's optics widened, and he ran out of the room, looking down the hallway... but whomever it was, it had already moved out of view.

"Brother?" asked Jetstorm. "What is wrong?"

"I thought I was seeing Bumblebee in the hallway," Jetfire replied. "But he was not as he should be...!"

"Bumblebee? Why would Bumblebee be here?" asked Jetstorm, surprised that Jetfire would mention one of the Autobots they'd met on earth. "He is not Elite Guard."

"I am not knowing, brother," replied Jetfire. "Perhaps I was just seeing things."

Side Burn just stared at the twins, and then sighed, shaking his head. "And you guys were making fun of _me."_

* * *

"This is a really bad idea Bumblebee," Sari said, even as she was sitting in Bumblebee's driver side seat. "They're gonna catch us!"

"And since when are you the voice of caution when we're doing stuff like this?" Bumblebee chided, sounding much too carefree for what they were doing. He turned a corner sharply, heading down another corridor and grazing the wall, jostling Sari a bit with the impact.

"Nng!" grunted Sari. "Watch where you're driving! And for the record, this isn't some hair-brained scheme like sneaking out to Burger Bot, or attaching my dad's rocket boosters!"

"Just calm down," Bumblebee hushed, before coming to a a sudden stop. "We're here."

Sari got out, and Bumblebee quickly transformed. "... Oh gee, said Sari upon seeing where they were. A set of doors. Bumblebee, you've found the secret to eternal life."

"Ha ha," Bumblebee replied, as activated his stingers. Before Sari could ask him what he was going to do with them, he zapped the security panel on the wall.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" shouted Sari. She had expected sneaking in through an air vent, or at least something more _subtle_ than that.

"Getting us inside," Bumblebee replied as the doors opened, not even hesitating for a moment as he strode inside.

Sari scrambled after him, intent on telling Bumblebee just how crazy he was acting. He _still_ hadn't told her anything about how this was all connected to getting Prowl back, much less how they were supposed to gain _anything_ from breaking into Elite Guard headquarters. However, the half-human found herself stricken with silence as she got a good look at the room they'd just broken into.

"The Elite Guard armory," Bumblebee replied, whistling. "Man, what I wouldn't give to mod myself up with these babies!"

Sari just followed him quietly, looking at the various weapons that were mounted in the room. It was less an armory, and more a museum; a showcase for what were clearly legendary weapons. She looked closer, and the Cybertronian letters' meanings became clear to her, allowing her to make out their names. Things like the Requiem Blaster. The Master Sword. Hytherion's Fang...

Suddenly, Sari came to a stop, as she caught sight of one weapon in particular. It was a sword. It was more mundane-looking than the other weapons, but somehow entrancing. It had a purple colored hilt, and a long, blue blade etched with ornate markings. On the hilt, there was something that looked like a jewel, but when Sari looked closer, she could see that it was more like the face and hands of a clock.

_"Rhisling,"_ said Sari, without even bothering to read the naming plaque. She reached out to touch it, only for her eyes to light up and an image to flash in her mind, causing her to grab the sides of her head.

It was... it was the same as the video Perceptor had shown her, only this time, it was like she was watching it from _inside_ the stasis pod. She could make out more of the figure now... he was white and purple, with armor that looked almost like a knight, and with slowly turning gears that were visible beneath his armor plating. His face was covered by a mask that looked like the Autobot symbol...

... And then suddenly he was gone. She was... sleeping somehow, only to be awakened by... by her father? But something was missing. A spark. She was _different_ now. Different from the other protoforms, but still somehow alive...

"Alright! This is it!"

Sari was snapped out of her vision by the sound of Bumblebee's voice, causing her to let out a short cry of frustration. Once her wits were back, though, she ran towards the sound of his voice, to one of the other weapon racks, and... saw Bumblebee breaking into a storage case. Before she could tell him to stop, his stingers succeeded in breaking the lock, and he pulled out the weapon inside: a long Cybertronian pole-arm with curved blades at both ends.

"The Spark Naginata," Bumblebee said, his voice sounding oddly vacant. But he wasn't reading the name from anything. "This is what we need, Sari!"

No. No. Sari's mind was screaming his was _very_ bad. "Bumblebee, put that thing back right now! she demanded. There's no way we can steal that thing!"

Bumblebee seemed to snap out of whatever was going on with him, and gave her an annoyed look. "You've been fighting me every step away on this, Sari," he said. "It's like you don't even want Prowl back!"

"Of course I want Prowl back!" Sari shouted, her voice heavy with a desperation for Bumblebee to listen to her. "What makes you think I wouldn't want him back?! But these weapons... these _things_...! It's dangerous to mess with them! And how do you even know we can use this to do that?!"

Before Bumblebee could answer, a voice came from the front of the armory. "Who's in here?! You might as well surrender now... you're up against the shining star of the Elite Guard!"

"Sunstreaker, do you have to be doing that every time we do anything?" said a second voice, which they both recognized as belonging to Jetstorm.

"Yes, yes I do!"

Bumblebee acted quickly. He grabbed Sari and transformed, pulling her into his rider compartment. With both her and the weapon tucked away inside, his seat belts quickly snapped up, wrapping around Sari and holding her securely. So securely, she couldn't transform into her warrior mode.

"Bumblebee!" she screamed. "What are you doing?!"

Her friend didn't answer. Instead, he activated his boosters, deploying them and bursting forward, knocking over several of the weapon racks. He then surged past four Autobots, two of which Sari recognized as Jetfire and Jetstorm, along with a blue and white one and a yellow one.

They didn't waste any time in pursuing him. Jetfire and Jetstorm both assumed their flight modes, while the other two followed along on the ground, taking the form of cybertronian cars.

"Bumblebee!" shouted Jetfire. "I was knowing it was you! What do you think you are doing?!"

Bumblebee didn't answer. "That's what I'd like to know!" screamed Sari, as she continued to struggle against her bonds.

When no proper response came, the jet twins combined in mid-air, assuming their combined jet mode. "We do not want to be doing this," two voices stated simultaneously, as the combined vehicle began to spin. "But you are giving us no choice!"

Seconds later, a storm of wind and fire came roaring at Bumblebee, too fast for even Bumblebee's boosters to evade. The vehicle seemed to be consumed in the blaze, prompting the two jets to disengage and land in robot mode. The other two bots came up behind them and transformed as well.

"Heh, looks like that intruder is just like you, Sunny," chided Side Burn. _"Flaming."_

Before Sunstreaker could respond to Side Burn's insult, Bumblebee came roaring out of the flames. He rushed past them, several green bombs bouncing out of his rear compartment and exploding into a green mist. The four robots' optics widened as they realized what was happening... and then fell to the ground, portions of their armor corroding.

"Bumblebee!" Sari screamed in terror. "What the heck was that?! What did you do to them?!"

Bumblebee gave her no answer. Instead, the sides of his vehicle mode converted into arms, and he deployed his stingers...

... shocking Sari _violently_ with them. Sari screamed, until Bumblebee shut off the electrical stream, upon which she fell forward, hitting her face on the Autobot's steering wheel.

_"Wh-why..."_ Sari whispered, just before fading into unconsciousness amidst the blaring of Bumblebee's car horn.

And once again, Bumblebee gave her no answer.

* * *

"Chug! Chug! Chug!"

The chant echoed through Maccadam's Oil House as the newly recovered Arcee attempted to down an entire tankard of premium petroleum in a single, long gulp. Before long, she finished and slammed the tankard down, wiping the excess from her mouth before looking up at everyone with a triumphant grin, causing the bar to erupt into cheers.

Ratchet was sitting not too far away, with the biggest smile he'd worn in a long time on his face. In the short time they'd been there, Arcee had asserted herself as the life of the party, and it warmed his spark to see her enjoying herself.

"Your friend's quite a femmebot, Ratchet," said a silver, bronze, and red Autobot. "She's not taken, is she?"

Ratchet glared at him. "She just got out of the Central Infirmary, Chromedome. Don't even think about it."

Chrome laughed a bit, showing he didn't take things as seriously as Ratchet. "Touchy, aren't we?" he asked, before striding over towards Arcee. "Looks like the little lady won! You know what that means, right guys? Maccadam, another round of oil for everybody, on me!"

Another cheer went up from the crown as Ratchet settled into his seat. As the silent bartender began to redistribute drinks, Arcee strode over and sat down next to the medic.

"Woo...! I feel like it's been ages since I've had this much fun," she said, with a knowing grin.

"Technically, it has," said Ratchet, as their drinks were brought their way. He lifted his tankard, and the two of them clanked theirs' together in a toast before Ratchet continued. "I have to say though, Arcee, you're full of surprises."

Arcee winked at him. "Stick with me, docbot... I'll show you a couple more before we're done," she said, before taking a drink.

Ratchet's faceplate turned a shade of red, but before the could respond, he felt a buzz from his comm unit. "Just a second," he said to Arcee, before bringing a servo up to the side of his helmet. "Prime? Yeah, what is it?"

_"Ratchet, where are you? I just got a call from Elite Guard security about Bumblebee!"_

Ratchet scowled. "What's that turbo revvin' young punk done now?" he asked.

_"He attacked an Elite Guard facility,_ replied Optimus. _"He disabled Jetstorm and Jetfire along with two others, and stole a weapon from the armory. He has Sari with him!"_

Ratchet stood up with a start, spilling his drink. _"HE DID WHAT?!"_, he said, prompting a look of concern from Arcee. Ratchet didn't have the best opinion of Bumblebee most of the time, but what Optimus was describing seemed _drastically_ out of character. "Where the slag is he?!"

_"Everyone lost track of him once he escaped Fortress Maximus. You'd better get over there, Ratchet. I'll meet you there."_

Ratchet nodded. "Alright," he said, closing the channel. He then turned to Arcee. "Something bad's happened. I need to get to Elite Guard headquarters, on the double."

Arcee's expression turned serious, and she stood up. "I'm going too then, Ratchet," The look on her face told him that she wouldn't put up with being argued with.

Ratchet didn't like it, but he accepted it with a short nod. "Then come on," he said, transforming into vehicle mode. "I'll fill you in on the way there." Arcee followed suit, and together they tore out of the bar, heading for Fortress Maximus. Whatever Bumblebee had done, Ratchet was determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

Sari's eyes slow fluttered open, the world around her a haze as she began to regain consciousness. She felt pain... _great_ pain, and still had the lingering memory of... of...

_Being electrocuted by Bumblebee._

Finally, though, her vision cleared, giving her a view of the world around her, albeit still through a mental haze. _That_ came from her being jarred by the sight of a demonic-looking, skull-like head looking at her from behind a transparent tank. Sari recoiled and screamed, but found it impossible to flee or transform.

"Mindwipe. The techno-organic has regained consciousness."

Sari looked around, frantically. She was strapped into some kind of device, unable to break free even with her techno-organic body's strength. She was in some kind of vast, white room, that somehow looked familiar...

Oh _crud_. There were _Decepticons_ there. One was the skull-headed one that had greeted her upon her awakening, and another was a black and orange titan that seemed to be emanating fiery red heat from beneath its armor. Standing a bit further away with his arms crossed was a purple and black Decepticon with a mask and a pair of bat-like wings that hung down like a cape.

"Excellent, Blight," said the latter, his eyes glowing ominously. "Bumblebee, bring me the Spark Naginata."

Sari gasped upon hearing Bumblebee's name, just as the small Autobot strode into view. He wasn't acting like himself though... now he was moving more slowly, less deliberately, like one of her father's automatons. And in his hands was the weapon he'd stolen from the armory, which the Decepticon then took from him.

"Bumblebee!" she screamed. "What are you doing?!"

"He can't hear you, my dear half-human child," said the purple and black Decepticon. "Though he doesn't realize it, this young fool has been in my thrall this entire time."

And with that, everything suddenly made sense. Bumblebee's strange behavior... him _attacking her_... this was all because of him.

"You _monster!_" she shrieked, struggling against her bonds, her anger towards what Mindwipe had done making her respond more harshly than she would otherwise. "You're not going to get away with this! Whatever you're planning, someone's going to stop you!"

Mindwipe stared at her, and his mask snapped down, revealing his face beneath it. It had pointed features, and a chin guard that almost looked like a beard along with a set of pointy fangs sticking out of his upper jaw. There was no malevolent, satisfied grin, like the kind she'd seen worn by Megatron and Starscream. Instead, he had a somber, serious look on his face.

"You have no idea what I aim to accomplish," he said, quietly. "But in the end, you will see the benefits of what we are about to do here. Blight, activate the device."

The green Decepticon nodded, and moved to the machine Sari was hooked up to, activating by way of the attached computer console. Spikes and wires shot out, attaching to and piercing the flesh of Sari's body, causing the girl to scream in pain. But even through the agony, she could feel the data surging through her techno-organic circuitry, taking control of her body's functions. A familiar power rose within her, with a greater intensity than the first time she'd lost control.

"You have absorbed a portion of the Allspark's power," said Mindwipe, turning away. "I have studied the legends and the ancient technology for countless stellar cycles. I know that we can use your energy to activate the Spark Naginata's true power..."

As Mindwipe gripped the weapon more tightly, its twin blades began to glow with a red aura. Sari felt herself becoming connected to it... and then, to far more than just that. She also realized just where they were: This was the mausoleum that they'd moved Prowl into, the resting place for fallen Cybertronian warriors.

Mindwipe lifted the Naginata, as all of the preservation pods started to glow one by one. "This is the end," cried the Decepticon. "The end of all fear! The end of war! The end of strife, and of loss! THIS IS THE DAY THE CYBERTRONIAN RACE CONQUERS DEATH!"

"N-no..." Sari whimpered, as Bumblebee looked on emotionlessly

And inside one of the pods, a long dead Cybertronian body stirred.

The dead were about to rise.

**TO BE CONCLUDED**

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Well, here we are everyone, over the hump of my innaugural TF fiction. The next chapter brings "Return to Cybertron" to a closer, and I'll be releasing Chapter 3 along with the epilogue that ties everything up. But don't worry, this won't be the end of my extended Animated universe!

Anyway... heh heh, I said last chapter that we'd be finding out what the deal with Mindwipe was. I guess he's still a bit mysterious. But hey, the next chapter will be getting into him heavily, so those of you in suspense, just hold on a bit.

I'm very happy with how this chapter came out. I've waited a long time to do that scene with Optimus and Sentinel, and I hope all of you enjoyed it as much as I did. I really do hope it was as powerful as I intended for it to be. And Glyph, Bulkhead, Ratchet, and Arcee got a bit of progression, which is good. As for Bumblebee... am I setting him up to be knocked down, or am I building him up? Find out next chapter, guys.

For the record... regarding my treatment of Wheelie here... I am _not_, I repeat _not_ out to bash him. I just always saw Wheelie, and thus, found him most interesting when he was treated like a young child who was somewhat "off." I'll be getting into just what his role is soon. As for Nightbeat, keep your eyes on him. He has the same body-type as Hot Shot, which is based off of the fact that his G1 counterpart was once a remolding of a Hot Shot mold. Side Burn is, of course, from _Robots in Disguise_, and you'll recognize Chromedome from Generation 1. His appearance is a small in-joke referencing his relationship with Arcee in the _Headmasters_ cartoon.

Speaking of references, can you readers spot the reference to Shattered Glass in the story? And for the record... yes, everyone, Wedge from the last chapter is a pastiche of Edward Elric from _Fullmetal Alchemist._

Well, I've rambled long enough. Here's some more bios... featuring Side Burn, Chromedome, and the councilbots from last chapter. Seeya next time!

* * *

**Name: Chromedome**  
Function: Science-Officer  
"We must face all challenges head on!"

In his earlier days, Chromedome thought he was destined for work in the science guild. However, his zeal to see his ideals applied clashed with the more methodical approach of others working under Perceptor, and he transferred into the military in order to apply his talents in the field. Chromedome is always thinking of new advancements, and can run multiple complex calculations at once. However, this makes him appear unfocused and scatter brained, and makes it difficult for him to work with others. He was once considered for the rank of Prime, until it became apparent that his subordinates would find it difficult to comprehend his orders. Chromedome is definitely talented and passionate, but he needs a good leader to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Abilities:  
* Transforms into high-speed land vehicle.  
* Talented inventor, with an advanced processor.  
* Dense head armor and powered neck pistons allow him to deliver powerful headbutts.

**Name: Side Burn**  
Function: Elite Guard Speedy Knight  
"Hey baby, come here often?"

Side Burn once held the record for being the youngest bot to attain membership into the Elite Guard. Unfortunately for Side Burn, that record was summarily shattered by Jetfire and Jetstorm. Nevertheless, he remains in good spirits and tries to set himself up as an older brother figure to the twins. Side Burn is also a shameless flirt, and will not hesitate to use his position in the Elite Guard to impress the ladies. The only downside is that his "attention span" for relationships is short, and that he'll quickly move on from one femmebot to the next - sometimes without telling the first one. But despite his youthful indiscretions, Side Burn is a skilled and valued member of the Elite Guard.

Abilities:  
* Transforms into high-speed pursuit vehicle.  
* Wields solitarium-arrow crossbow and refraction shield.  
* Advanced targeting scouter installed over optics.  
* "Speed Break" ability allows him to briefly accelerate to high speeds, followed by a severe cooldown and system burn out.

**Name: Avalon**  
Function: Autobot Council - Head of Business Guilds  
"A stable economy yields a stable civilization."

Some call Councilor Avalon cold and professional... and they're exactly right. He ran his own shipping company prior to being elected to the council by his fellow business bots, and he applies the same philosophies to his political career as he did his private one. In short, he's primarily concerned with the bottom line, and can be quite ruthless when situations call for it. He's managed to broker trade deals with several alien races, including the devious and often hostile Quintessons. Many people may not like Avalon, but you have to agree... he gets results. He often butts heads with Councilor Botanica.

Abilities:  
* Top of the line personal parts, and sleek, well maintained vehicle mode.  
* Well read on political, economic, and scientific subjects.  
* Incredibly persuasive.

**Name: Mudslinger**  
Function: Autobot Council - Head of Ethics Committee  
"Justice is blind, but I am not."

Mudslinger is the Autobot Council's director of ethical affairs, overseeing violations and investigations in both the government and military. In short, when someone steps out of line, Mudslinger is usually the presiding representative. Though final decisions ultimately fall to Ultra Magnus, Mudslinger's advice carries great influence with the Autobot leader. Many prisoners in the Trypticon stockades owe the fact that they're there to Mudslinger. Numerous stellar cycles have made Mudslinger cynical, and this influences his decisions greatly. In short, he sees corruption everywhere... that is, save for in himself.

Abilities:  
* Transforms into an all-terrain vehicle.  
* Knowledgeable in all matters of crime and punishment.

**Name: Xaaron**  
Function: Autobot Council - Head of Planetary Security  
"The price of peace is constant vigilance."

Councilor Xaaron has been alive for a long, long time - almost as long as Alpha Trion. Living through the horrors of the great war has taken its impact on him, but it hasn't made Xaaron lose track of his ideals, his optimism, or his free-wheeling approach to planetary security. You see, Xaaron isn't afraid to bend the rules, and at times can be somewhat unsubtle in his methods. Its not to say he's hot-headed or inexperienced, because he clearly knows what he's doing, it's just that the wily old buzzard is about as subtle as a mass hammer to the head. This causes him to butt heads with other members of the council, particularly Mudslinger and Botanica. Xaaron's dedication is without question - he's seen a Cybertron in ruins, and will do everything in his power to prevent that from happening again.

Abilities:  
* Head of planetary security. Oversees Autotrooper precincts and emergency response divisions.  
* Transforms into Cybertronian transport vehicle - dangerous due to long periods of not transforming.

**Botanica**  
Function: Autobot Council - Civilian Representative  
"Never forget what or who we are fighting for."

Many of the other Council members come from a military or prestigious background, but this is not the case with Councilor Botanica. Originally a scientist working on ways to improve the cultivation of crystalline energon, Botanica began her political career when she began to realize that many of Cybertron's working class were beginning to be disenfranchised by the post-war system on Cybertron. Thus, she changed her focus and entered the political arena, seeking to improve their standing in the eyes of the planet's lawmakers. Her progress has enjoyed some success and suffered some heartbreaks, but nevertheless, Botanica will keep fighting for the day when a worker bot or energon farmer enjoys the same level of respect as a warrior.

Abilities:  
* Transforms into a mobile communications relay.  
* Can generate and control the flow of electricity, both offensively and in order to re-power machinery.


	3. Chapter 03: Wake the Dead

**Transformers Animated  
Return to Cybertron  
Chapter 03.1: Wake the Dead**

**Transformers Animated is the property of Hasbro and Takara-Tomy. This fic is completely non-profit and exists for my own personal use and amusement. No infringement on the rights of the original creators is intended.**

**Sunstreaker as portrayed in this story is based on a concept created by Teal. I did not create this version of the character. All other OCs are my creation, save for those elements based on existing Transformers characters from other series.**

_Written By: Razorsaw_

* * *

_One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,  
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die._  
- John Donne, _Holy Sonnet X_

Bumblebee felt distant from everything, as though he were cut off from everything around him. Oh, on _some_ level, he knew what he was doing, but it was like walking through a dream, guided by a will stronger than his own. He didn't decide anything, he just... did it.

But it was okay. He was bringing Prowl back, after all. That was what was important, right?

Right...?

_Bumblebee!_

There... was a voice calling his name. Bumblebee looked around for the source, but everything seemed murky, like he was trapped in a fog. What's more, the voice seemed to come from everywhere, but nowhere at the same time...

Then, a shadow started to approach him.

Bumblebee's optics lit up. He knew this person. The silhouette was unmistakable. He raced forward, ecstatic, and called out to him.

"Prowl!" he cried, embracing the taller Autobot like a brother. "I can't believe it! It's really you! You're alive!"

But there came no reply. Bumblebee blinked, and moved forward until he could make out his fellow Autobot in his entirety.

What he saw caused him to frown and come to a stop. No, this was all wrong. Prowl was a stiff, sure, but the Autobot standing before him stood like a statue. Furthermore, his body was colored a dull black and gray. The color of a body that had no spark.

"... Prowl?" Bumblebee asked out loud. But his fallen friend gave him no answer.

_BUMBLEBEE!_

* * *

_"BUMBLEBEE!"_

It was Sari's voice that knocked Bumblebee out of his dream-like state. And with that, the young Autobot finally became aware of everything around him... and the fact that he was surrounded by Cybertronian _corpses._ Hollow, sparkless shells that were _standing and walking around._

No no no! he thought. It wasn't supposed to be this way! He was supposed to bring Prowl back to life! These were like those monsters he'd seen in movies back on earth! These were _zombies!_

And then something else occurred to him, this time about his actions during last few megacycles. _Oh spark._ He'd attacked Sari. And now she was...!

Bumblebee wheeled around, and saw Sari hooked up to an elaborate-looking device, her entire body radiating with the power of the Allspark. Hunched over it was one of the Decepticons who'd attacked him in the Cyber Ninja Dojo: a sickly, rusted-looking monstrosity named Blight.

"Let her go!" Bumblbee shouted, activating his stingers and firing a blast from each at the Decepticon. However, it struck harmlessly against Blight, causing the Decepticon to laugh.

"Foolish little mechling," the skull-faced Transformer hissed. "Even if that were enough to do more than make me tingle, I don't even feel pain anymore anyway!"

"Your usefulness is at an end," said another voice. Bumblebee looked up, and saw another one of the bots from the dojo hovering near the ceiling. He was holding the weapon Bumblebee had stolen from the Elite Guard armory. The "Spark Naginata."

"My dear undead thrall," the bat-winged Decepticon said, "Please take care of this unneeded element."

Before Bumblebee could realize what the Decepticon meant by that, Prowl's animated corpse lashed out at him, knocking him into the nearest wall. Then, he tossed out his shuriken, throwing them with the same skill and precision that he'd possessed in life. The saucer edges pierced Bumbleblebee's armor, causing him to cry out in pain as well as pinning him to the wall.

"I suppose that will do," said the Decepticon who'd given the order. "Come Blight, Brimstone, we've wasted enough time here. Planetary security will be here any minute now."

"By your order, Master Mindwipe."

Blight, and a second Decepticon who looked like a walking demonic stove, gathered near their leader. "And what will we do next, oh honored elder?" asked the larger of the pair.

"My plan is still incomplete, Brimstone," Mindwipe replied, his battle mask snapping back up to cover his face. "I require one more item. These undead heaps of metal still lack the one element to be truly risen from the grave. I will lead a phalanx on Boltax, the Ministry's of Science's headquarters. There, we will find the Allspark."

"And what about us us?" Brimstone asked, sounding somewhat demanding.

"I will send two waves with each of you," replied Mindwipe. "Brimstone, attack Metroplex and obliterate the High Council. Blight, you will destroy Fortress Maximus and the Elite Guard. Once the old regime falls, our new age will be ready to begin.

This seemed to please Brimstone greatly, but Blight answered only with a firm nod.

Mindwipe took to the air again. "I will take the techno-organic with me! She is still necessary to control our resurrected warriors! Now, my undead legions... let us go forth!"

Prowl and the innumerable fallen Autobots began to move, following Mindwipe and his lieutenants out of the mausoleum. Bumblebee reached out, weakly, but the pain was too great for him to break free.

"S-Sari..." Bumblebee murmured, but she was out of his reach and being carried away. Even if he could get free, he'd be torn apart as soon as he tried to rescue her... either by those Decepticons, or the undead army they now controlled.

He slumped against the wall, clenching his optics shut. In the past, Bumblebee had screwed up. On numerous occasions. But this time... this time he'd _really_ made a mess of things. And now Sari, _everyone else_, was going to pay for what he'd done.

* * *

Even as a scientist, the Autobot Wheeljack had moments where he had to appreciate the less quantifiable aspects of a thing. And now, as he stared at the reformed Allspark, sealed inside its latest containment vessel, he was definitely getting a sense of the legendary relic's majesty.

**"The Allspark's energy output is irregular. Furthermore, its mass has is decreased by 1.5 thousand milli-units since it was last analyzed on Cybertron."**

And of course, leave it to Perceptor to have the complete _opposite_ reaction.

Wheeljack sighed, and turned to his colleague. "What do you think the significance of that is?" he asked Perceptor, trying to hide his lack of enthusiasm.

**"The reason for the decrease in mass is clear,"** replied the other Autobot. **"Several Allspark shards triggered the creation of new Cybertronian life on Earth. Furthermore, the possibility exists that the Cyber Ninjas' 'Proccessor Over Matter' did not succeed in gathering all of the shards dispersed across the planet."**

"I see," said Wheeljack, as he looked at the data on Perceptor's computer console. That was a bit more intriguing than just saying the Allspark had less mass "Think that would explain the irregular energy readings?"

**"Unknown,"** replied Perceptor. Then, after noticing something, he continued. **"... However, it seems that the irregularities are increasing."**

It was no sooner than Perceptor had said that, that light suddenly flared from the Allspark's container. Both mechs shielded their optics, gazing at the sight with a great deal of amazement... and in Wheeljack's case, worry.

The two shared a glance, before looking back at the readouts.

**"Most irregular,"** said Perceptor.

"That's putting it mildly," replied Wheeljack.

* * *

"What in the name of Ultra Magnus's chrome diode is going on?"

Those words heralded the arrival of Sentinel Prime, as he burst into Fortress Maximus's command center. Optimus Prime, Jazz, and Ratchet were already there, along with Star Saber, warden of Trypticon prison, and the femmebot called Arcee. Furthermore, the members of the Autobot Council were visible on the main computer screen.

"Sentinel," replied Optimus. "Something really bad's going on."

"Thanks for _stating the obvious,_" the other Prime snapped. "Your bumbling little sparkplug of a subordinate burst into the Elite Guard armory, and made off with a priceless relic!"

Ratchet rolled his optics, and began to work at the main console. "There's more to it than that," said the medic. "Just take a look."

Sentinel's optics widened when Ratchet called the video data up. It was a large number of Autobots, the entirety of which looked like they should be _dead._ Sentinel wasn't exactly an expert on fallen veterans, but he knew a bot who'd gone off-line when he saw one.

"What the slag? How is this possible?"

"It's connected to the weapon Bumblebee stole," replied Star Saber. "Ratchet, zoom in on sector 56.7-B."

Ratchet nodded, and did as he was told. The image zoomed in on a portion of the scene, focusing on a sky skiff that hovered towards the front of the mob. Standing on the vehicle was a Decepticon, who held a double-bladed weapon in his hands. Mounted on the front of the skiff was a device, and someone _very_ familiar to most of the Autobots in the room was hooked up to it.

"SARI!" Optimus cried, while Arcee gasped, and Ratchet grimaced in anger.

"That weapon is the Spark Naginata," stated Star Saber, who had narrowed both of his optics. "It was once in the possession of the Cyber Ninja Corps, but Master Yoketron passed it on to Ultra Magnus after he mastered the Cyber Ninja arts. It was said to be one of only a few weapons capable of channeling the power of the Allspark..."

"And that filthy Decepticon is using Sari to make up for not having it?" growled Ratchet.

"I doubt the techno-organic has enough power for all that," replied Star Saber. "He's obviously only using her now so he can utilize the Naginata's power long enough to get his hands on the Allspark itself."

"That would make sense," said Alpha Trion's voice, coming from the computer's speakers. "It seems he's leading his troops towards Boltax. The Allspark is there, being analyzed by Perceptor and Wheeljack."

"That's not all," added Councilor Xaaron. "Two more waves are headed towards _us_, along with you fellers in Fortress Maximus. No doubt that Decepticon plans on wiping all of us out."

"This is a grave crisis indeed," said Alpha Trion. "Optimus Prime, what do you think we should do?"

Numerous optics turned towards Optimus, causing the Autobot to double take in surprise. Everyone was expecting an answer... save for Sentinel, who was eying the floor resentfully.

Optimus' expression hardened, and then he gave them their answer.

"I don't know why you're asking _me_, Alpha Trion. As far as I know, Sentinel Prime is the current acting Magnus."

And just as Optimus expected, everyone else did their own double take, looking surprised, Sentinel most of all. But when everyone turned to look at _him_, the blue, large-chinned Autobot suddenly felt very self-conscious. He stammered incomprehensibly... until he saw the expectant, demanding look on Optimus's face.

And with that, his entire demeanor changed.

"Of course I am!" Sentinel bellowed. "Jazz, Star Saber, you guys get to the Metroplex. Call any Cyber Ninja buddies that aren't skulking around in secret somewhere, and make sure that no one gets near the Councilbots in Metroplex! Meanwhile, I'll get all active members of the Elite Guard on Cybertron to defend Fortress Maximus! Optimus, I'm sending you to stop the ones heading towards Boltax! If you can save that pet organic of yours, that creepy Decepticon's plans'll probably fall apart! And as for you, old bot, find a team and get over to the Veteran's Mausoleum and see if you can't find that troublemaking bumbler of yours! _Any questions?_"

No one asked any, and more than a few of them were staring at Sentinel slack-jawed. In fact, the only three that weren't were Optimus, Jazz, and Star Saber... the first two, because they were grinning, and the latter due to the fact that he didn't have a visible mouth.

"Yes sir," said Optimus.

"Well, then get going!" barked Sentinel. On his order, everyone leaped to action, with Optimus being the first to head to move out the door.

"Oh, and Optimus..."

Optimus stopped, and looked back at Sentinel. "Yeah?"

"You're going up against a _Decepticon,"_ said the other Prime. "Since the Council will be after my afterburner if you go offline, take the Magnus hammer. But if you so much as chip a piece off of that thing...!"

Optimus actually laughed. "No problem, Sentinel. No problem at all."

* * *

In one of Cybertron's many city streets, Bulkhead and Glyph found themselves trying to swerve and avoid running into fleeing pedestrians. This, of course, was no small task for someone like Bulkhead, who repeatedly found himself smacking in to other bots. Bots who were too terrified to even care that the giant Autobot had nearly run them over.

All around them, emergency sirens were blaring, and were only interrupted by announcements from Cybertronian security that ordered the populace to stay calm and for everyone to head to the nearest shelters. Naturally, this only added to the sense of fear, as the last time such announcements were made, _Decepticons_ were involved.

"Bulkhead!" shouted Glyph, trying to talk over the nearby sirens. "We need to get to a shelter! I know you're worried about your friends, but right now, we need to get to safety...!"

Rather than answer, Glyph, however, Bulkhead stopped, and transformed, craning his neck up towards the sky. Glyph skidded to a stop next to him, and transformed as well. "Bulkhead! Are you listening to me? What's wrong?"

Bulkhead didn't answer. Instead, he just stood there, staring up at the sky with his jaw hanging open. Glyph blinked, and then followed his line of vision upwards... and found herself gaping as well.

Floating above them was a Decepticon-model sky skiff, with the enemy faction's familiar pointed emblem emblazoned on the bottom as though it were a warning to everyone below. But that wasn't all. Bulkhead activated his binocular optics, and zoomed in... and found none other than Sari on top of the skiff, hooked up to some sort of strange device. Standing next to her was a mostly purple-colored Decepticon, who also held a strange, double-bladed weapon.

"My friend is up there!" Bulkhead shouted, anger evident in his voice. "Sari! That Decepticon's got her!"

Glyph gasped. "Your friend? The techo-organic? But why?"

Before Bulkhead could answer, the ground was rocked by an explosion that ended up throwing them both back off of their feet. Both Autobots crashed painfully into the ground, smoke rising from the crater that had formed they'd once been standing.

The source of the attack was another sky skiff, one of many that were floating in formation, bombing the streets below with automated weaponry. But that wasn't the most terrifying part... that honor went to the shambling, monochrome, clearly _dead_ army of mechanoids that marched beneath the skiffs, advancing towards them.

"This... this is impossible!" Glyph gasped.

Bulkhead just stood up, his optics narrowing. "Glyph," he said, converting his hand into its wrecking ball form. "Get to the nearest shelter."

Glyph's gaze snapped towards Bulkhead. She frowned, and her expression hardened. "No, I'm not leaving you behind...!" she shouted, activating the energy stingers that were common to bots of her body type.

"Don't argue with me!" shouted Bulkhead. "You're not a warrior bot!"

"Neither are you!"

Before their argument could progress, a group of the undead Autobots came rushing at them. Neither Autobot had any time to do anything except attack, with Bulkhead swinging out with his signature weapon. The wrecking ball crashed into one undead mech after another, leaving them a pile of parts laying on the ground.

Bulkhead blinked. "That was... surprisingly easy," he said, relaxing a bit...

... only for the fallen Autobots' bodies to rise, moving despite the massive damage and missing parts of their bodies.

Both Glyph and Bulkhead gulped. "Or not," Bulkhead remarked, just before their attackers ran at them again.

* * *

High above the streets of the Cybertronian city, Mindwipe looked down events transpiring below him whilst wearing a frown on his face. Already, violence was beginning to spread through Cybertron's streets, with more sure to be an inevitability. Mindwipe had known that it would come to this, and yet...

"They're... they're in pain..."

Mindwipe slowly turned around. The words had come from the techno-organic girl, who even now was staring at him with weary defiance. Her torment was beginning to take a toll on her body, and she looked much weaker than she had before Blight had activated the device they were using to control her powers.

"Their agony will soon come to an end," replied Mindwipe. "Their resurrection is incomplete. Once I call them back from the Well of All Sparks, they will be free. Free from pain, free from war... free from _dying."_

"No..." Sari groaned. "You're wrong..."

Mindwipe scowled. "What could you possibly know about me, or what I intend to do?" he asked. "You've lived your life on a primitive planet, never knowing what real loss is. You've never seen members of your own kind die, all in the name of two flawed, imperfect causes. You've never had to forsake the honor of your very own _spark_ in order to do what needed to be done!"

Sari continued to stare at him, her expression unchanging. "If you... if you think like that... why are you... a Decepticon?"

Mindwipe stared at her, and turned away again. "A circumstance of my creation," he said. "But I am far more than one of Megatron's lackeys, or a simple warmonger. Though I was protoformed as a soldier for Megatron, my _true_ loyalty is to the Dark Order... a group who had access to the information and the training I needed to get to where I am today.

"... But even then, my true goals are mine and mine alone. I have lived too long, child, with the fear that not only would I be consumed by Cybertron's endless conflict, so would my people. Oh, yes, the Great War has long ended, but how long do you believe it will be before the other Decepticons return and start it all over again? I am trying to save Cybertron, and all of its children, from oblivion!"

Sari stared at him, before slumping down against her bonds. She didn't know why, but for some reason she felt _sorry_ for this Decepticon. Yes, even after what he'd done to her and Bumblebee, she felt that way. It was more than mere sympathy, however. Somehow, she felt as connected to Mindwipe as she did the undead Autobots he was controlling.

He was afraid of dying. He was afraid of seeing other people die. Even after what had happened to Prowl, she couldn't full comprehend the kinds of things someone like Mindwipe felt.

And yet, every fiber of her being was telling her that what Mindwipe was doing was _wrong_, and that no matter what excuses he'd convinced himself of, he was disrupting something should never be tampered with.

Before Sari could say anything else to Mindwipe, though, she was startled by the sound of thunder. Which was odd, because she had heard that Cybertron didn't have _rain._ Sari looked up, and saw that Mindwipe had heard the noise as well. Dark red clouds had gathered above them, with lightning threatening to strike down at any given moment.

"What is this...?" Mindwipe wondered aloud.

His reply came in the form of a lightning bolt that came raining down from the heavens, striking the Decepticon before he could move out of the way. As he cried out in pain, a red and blue blur slammed into him, knocking him off of the sky skiff. The bat-winged Decepticon recovered quickly, however, holding on tight to the Naginata as he looked around for his assailant.

"Who dares?" the Decepticon roared, as he finally caught sight of the attacker. Sari didn't need to ask such questions - she knew the winged, hammer-wielding Autobot instantly.

"OPTIMUS!"

"Sari, hold on!" Optimus said, as he hovered in the air with the aid of the jetpack that Ratchet had built for him on Earth. "I'll have you out of there soon!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" screamed Mindwipe. The Decepticon transformed, taking the form of a long nosed, dark colored jet, with the Spark Naginata fixed in place at the nose of the vehicle. He then fired his thrusters, flying at Optimus with the intent of impaling him on the blade.

Optimus jerked hard to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. He then focused his concentration on the Magnus Hammer, managing to call down another lightning bolt on Mindwipe. The Decepticon dodged it easily this time, and then swung back around for another attempt at hitting the Autobot.

Optimus frowned, and the cannons mounted on his shoulders angled down, fixing on the oncoming jet. "Let's hope I can actually _hit_ something with these things," he said as he prepared to fire.

Twin pulses of laser fire flew out, forcing Mindwipe to take evasive action. But before Optimus could make another attack, something slammed into him from behind, impaling him in the pack with two long, sharp blades. Optimus fell forward with a loud cry, but recovered soon enough, activating his boosters in time to crash safely onto Mindwipe's sky skiff.

"Optimus..." Sari said, her voice full of fear. But she wasn't looking at the Autobot leader as she said it.

Rather, her eyes were on the sky, fixed on Optimus's attacker. Optimus blinked, and looked in the same direction, gasping when he saw who it was.

"No...!"

Floating there, with his optics dim and his body rigid like a marionette, was _Prowl._

* * *

"This is one crazy scene man. One _mad_ scene."

Jazz stood at the base of the Metroplex with Star Saber standing alongside him. The army of undead Autobots was advancing towards them, with several phalanxes approaching from all sides. Just as they'd both predicted, they'd cut off any escape routes, boxing them and the High Council in. Leading the group approaching them was the only living part of that army: a large, dark-colored Decepticon whose chassis radiated flame.

"That's putting it lightly," said Star Saber as he narrowed his optics. "There'll be no running... we'll hold the line on all sides of the building."

Jazz nodded, and looked at the Cyber Ninjas they'd been able to contact: Tap Out and Star Upper, two boxing experts who'd managed to pull themselves away from their training for the fighting circuit; the gigantic cyber-sumo Grandus; and the martial artists, Sky Garry and Heavy Load.

Backing them up were a unit of Autotroopers. None of them were Cyber Ninjas, but they certainly evened the odds some.

"You boys ready for the fight of your lives?" called Jazz, raising his fist into the air.

"Feh, compared to sparring with springy here, these guys will be a piece of cake!" replied Tap Out, who pounded a fist into his open servo.

Star Upper just grinned in response. "Indeed. It'll be easier than beating Tap Out when he's had too much oil the night before a match!" he said, earning a glare from the smaller, green-colored Autobot.

"It's... so _biiiiiiig!"_ Grandus flounced nervously, commenting on the size of the advancing army.

"Don't be so nervous, big guy," said Sky Garry, who patted Grandus reassuringly on the back. "I'll be behind you all of the way!

This didn't seem to put Grandus's mind anymore at ease, and the monumental Autobot proceeded to gnaw on the tips of his clamp-like hand servos.

"Where's Dai Atlas?" Heavy Load asked, looking to Jazz and Star Saber.

"He hooked up with the Elite Guard," replied Star Saber. "All in all, they're probably gonna need the help. Four of their men are down for the count, and there are only two other Elite Guard bots here on Cybertron."

"Well, I wouldn't say you young fellers didn't have more than enough to chew on, either! Eh heh heh!"

The company of ninjas turned around, and much to their surprise, found Cliffjumper, Botanica, and Xaaron approaching them, followed by a beleaguered looking assortment of Autotroopers.

"What're you doing here?" demanded Star Saber. "Autotrooper! Get these Council Bots back to the secure bunker!"

"Relax, sonny. It's not like we'd just sit around while you young bots risk your lives for us!" said Xaaron. "Me, I was bustin' chops before you were even protoformed, Star Saber! And I'll be slagged before I sit idly by while some of my old war buddies come back and try to tear you youngsters' overchromed, modded-out bodies to pieces!"

"And above all, we must be an example for our people," said Botanica. "So many of our people are in danger, and as their duly elected representative, I cannot ignore their plight!"

"And I just plain haven't had a good fight in a while!" said Cliffjumper, flashing the Cyber Ninjas a devilish smirk.

Jazz and Star Saber exchanged glances, and after a moment, nodded to one another. "Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do," said Jazz, facing the Councilbots.

"But I must request that you do not take any _more_ unnecessary risks," added Star Saber, attempting to sound firm in his commands.

_"INCOMING!"_

The sudden warning from Heavy Load caused everyone to leap into action. Star Saber threw himself in front of the Councilbots, as fire began to rain down from above, crashing down like a swarm of meteors. Jazz sprang forward, whilst Sky-Garry created a gust of wind in an attempt to block anymore fire.

The attacking army had reached the perimeter, and those blasts of fire had been fired by the Decepticon leading them. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" roared the fiery Cybertronian. "At long last! I don't have to hold back anymore! I can burn everything and _everyone_ to the ground!"

So enraptured in the bliss of being able to go all out, though, the Decepticon was struck upside by the head by Jazz's laser nunchaku. The Decepticon gave a grunt as he stumbled back, but he recovered quickly. Seeing Jazz standing before him, the Decepticon flashed the Cyber Ninja a wide grin.

"I'm Brimstone," said the larger mech, belching fire from one the vents on his shoulders. "I'm going to burn this entire building to the ground and use you as kindling, Cyber Ninja!"

"And I," said Jazz, just before leaping at the Decepticon, "am unimpressed, daddio!"

The battle was on. As Jazz and Brimstone began their duel, the others let out a battle cry and charged into battle. Grandus let out a frustrated scream, charging forward like a child throwing a fearful tantrum... until he found himself surrounded by the undead attackers. His demeanor promptly changed, and he threw his massive frame forward, sending several of the undead Autobots flying back into their own ranks.

Sky Garry let out a cheer as he watched Grandus move into action, and then covered Tap Out and Star Upper as they ran forward, giving them something of a boost by way of one of his wind gusts, allowing both boxers to each gain enough momentum to hit their opponents with a devastating impact punch.

Then there was Heavy Load, who used his personal power to modify gravity's hold on his body, lessening it in order to leap up to a great height, just before drastically increasing it just enough to rain down like a living meteor.

Even the councilbots were holding their own. Electricity danced from Cliffjumper's stingers, which Botanica then directed in a wide arc using her own unique electrokinetic powers. Xaaron preferred traditional fisticuffs, punching and throwing the undead Cybertronians as they came at him.

"We don't need a baby-sitter, Star Saber!" he called to the Cyber Ninja swordsman. "Go help Jazz before that overheated 'Con tears him apart!"

Star Saber sighed reluctantly, but nodded. He activated the jump jets on his back, sailing over the various combatants towards Jazz and Brimstone's battle. And it was a battle that was no longer going in Jazz's favor.

"You're nothing!" Brimstone roared, hitting the Cyber Ninja with a wave of fire launched from his flamethrowers. Jazz let out a cry of pain, just before the infernal Decepticon fired two bursts from his shoulder mounted cannons. This threw Jazz back, leaving scorch marks up and down his armor.

Brimstone stomped forward, and then bent down, picking the smaller Autobot up by the neck. "Do you know how long I've waited for this?" he growled. "All these stellar cycles since the Great War ended. All those centuries playing lackey to that coward Mindwipe _just so I could have a chance to fight on this planet again!_ IT WAS TOO LONG! **I HAVE WAITED FAR TOO LONG!"**

Then, just as Brimstone was about to start smashing Jazz's face into the ground, Star Saber jetted down from above, swinging his sword and cutting a deep gnash in the Decepticon's side. Brimstone screamed, releasing Jazz as his pain receptors overloaded his senses.

"Are you alright?" cried Star Saber, landing at Jazz's side.

Jazz began to rise, and once he was on his feet, he looked at Brimstone hatefully.

"That punk messed up my paint job," he said coldly. "It's _on_ now...!"

Brimstone had just recovered in time to hear Jazz's words. He leveled his gaze at the two Autobots... and smirked. "Oh, indeed! It's definitely 'on', you slaggin' cyber ninjas...!"

Then, before either Autobot could attack, they were both struck from behind by something moving _very_ fast. Repeated nerve blows struck their bodies, sending them both falling forward, paralysis seizing their motor functions. As they hit the ground, the new combatant jumped over them and landing alongside Brimstone.

"Wh-what?" gasped Jazz, his optics wide beneath his visor.

Star Saber too was overcome by shock. "No... no, it can't be!"

Landing next to Brimstone was the Autobot who had been, in life, the most skilled warrior on Cybertron. It was the bot who'd trained them. The mech who'd taught every single one all of the Cyber Ninjas in the art of combat, and in the ways of discipline.

_"Master Yoketron!"_

* * *

"Why the slag don't we just drop Omega Supreme on these _BLAMMIN'_ walking corpses?"

Sentinel eyed Warpath with annoyance. The Elite Guard security chief had joined from Trypticon, arriving shortly before Dai Atlas, who had been assessing a military organization when he'd gotten the call for duty. And so, the defenders of Fortress Maximus included them three, along with a company of Autotroopers and whatever planetary security staff they could cull from local departments.

"Omega Supreme is undergoing hard-drive defragmentation," snapped Sentinel, sounding as though he'd had to explain this fact several times already. "After that traitor Shockwave messed with his head, we had to make sure that no Decepticon influence had managed to imprint on him."

Warpath grumbled. "I should be at Trypticon, _KABLAM!_ There's no way those bleeding sparks Hound and Padlock can keep Megatron in-line without me."

"And I should be with the other Cyber Ninjas," said Dai Atlas, speaking with his characteristic sullen tone. "I cannot allow my order to fall... not when there is no one to teach a new generation of warriors..."

"_ZAPPO!"_ exclaimed Warpath. "Besides, Sentinel, you've managed to make slag out of every decision you've made in the last few decacycles. Why of us should even be listening to you is beyond me!"

Sentinel snarled, and he was about to reply to Warpath... until a pink arm flew out and slug the red-colored Autobot across the face. As the much larger mech fell to the ground, Arcee stepped up to him, putting a foot on his chest as she glared down at him.

"I don't know Sentinel Prime very well at all," said the femmebot, "but right now, he's your commanding officer! And if you think that guarding a bunch of prisoners who already have _protoform-sitters_ looking after them is more important than keeping the headquarters of the Cybertronian military _ still standing_, you're even less of an Autobot than you think HE is! So quit complaining and _start doing your job!"_

Both Warpath, Sentinel, and even Dai Atlas _stared_ at Arcee, their jaws hanging open and their optics wide with shock. Eventually, Warpath nodded, then mumbled an apology to Sentinel, prompting Arcee let him back up. Sentinel coughed into his hand, and approached her, keeping his head down.

"Um. Thanks..." he said to the femmebot.

"No problem," said Arcee, crossing her arms. "Right now, we need a leader, and... well, for better or worse, that's you."

Sentinel looked up, blinking, her words reminding him of something he'd heard not to long ago. But rather than dwell on that memory, he put that thought out of his mind. "I would have thought you'd have gone with your boyfriend the medic," he said.

"Yeah, well, you need people who can fight," replied Arcee, drawing both of her swords. "Besides, I figured I'd spare Ratchet the aggravation of telling me it was too dangerous to go with him."

"And sticking around in the middle of a war zone isn't dangerous?" asked Sentinel.

Arcee grinned. "What Ratchet doesn't know won't hurt him."

This actually made Sentinel laugh, but before he could give an answer to that, the sound of an approaching siren caught their attention. They looked in the direction of the approaching noise, seeing a white and black vehicle that promptly transformed, revealing itself to be the security chief, Checkpoint.

"They over-ran the last defensive perimeter!" said the Autobot. "They're right behind me!"

"Already?" cried Dai Atlas. "And you ran here to tell us this yourself instead of sending a messenger? Where are your men, soldier?"

Checkpoint didn't reply, he just gave Dai Atlas a pained expression. Realization dawned on the old warrior's face, but before he could inquire further, a bolt of green energy shot down at them. Checkpoint, hearing the sizzle of energy cutting through the air, spun around and activated his energy shield, just in time to deflect it away from them.

Moments later, a Decepticon with armor in varying states of corrosion dropped down in front of them. His skull-like face's optics burned red behind his transparent dome, and he tossed something at Checkpoint's feet.

It was the severed head of an Autotrooper.

The security chief let out a scream of rage, and charged forward, only for the Decepticon to... simply open up his helmet. The chemicals contained beneath the dome instantly converted into gas on contact with the air, billowing out into Checkpoint's face. The Autobot collapsed, cosmic rust crawling across his body.

"The Elite Guard," hissed the Decepticon, as Checkpoint convulsed at his feet. "Or what's left of it. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Blight. And these... well, these fellows I suspect were once your dear comrades. Or maybe your immediate ancestors. I imagine it varies..."

The thudding of numerous footsteps announced the presence of Blight's undead underlings. Once the phalanx was in position, Blight let out a burst of radiation that sent the Elite Guard and Arcee scattering. The Decepticon then let out an order, sending his minions forward. In a matter of moments, everyone there was fighting for their lives.

That is, save for the ones that had already lost their own. But then, it was hard to kill something that was _already dead._

* * *

Far away, on the other side of Cybertron's capital, Optimus Prime grunted as a swipe from both of Prowl's blades struck against the Magnus Hammer. The Cyber Ninja was as strong as he'd been in life, and apparently, just as skilled.

"How are you doing this?" the Autobot demanded to Mindwipe. "Prowl's battling just like he did when he was alive!"

"His programming remains in that empty shell," explained the Decepticon, who hovered a short distance away. "All of these undead Autobots are able to act and move around, and use the skills they had in life... but for now, they can only move as if they were in a dream! They only have a limited connection to their sparks... they need to _Allspark_ to pull them back, and allow them to truly live again!"

Optimus sneered behind his faceplate. Ever since Prowl had appeared on the battlefield, Prime had been on the defensive, with Prowl managing to successfully attack every possible opening. Meanwhile, Mindwipe hovered around them like a demented combat spectator.

What's more, while Optimus had the power to strike back, he was apprehensive to use the power of the Magnus Hammer on Prowl's body. This bot was his friend, and even if he was just an empty shell, he didn't know if he could bring himself to damage it.

"Somehow, I doubt your intentions are so noble!" shouted Optimus, flaring his rockets in order to put some distance between him and Prowl. "Why would a Decepticon want to bring a bunch of Autobots back from the grave?"

Mindwipe didn't hesitate to answer that question. "I have seen far too much destruction on both sides of this wretched conflict! For millions of stellar cycles, I have watched from the shadows as my fellow Decepticons were driven from this planet, and you so-called 'noble' Autobots sank further into corruption! What the reason for it all? Oh yes, some wanted power, some wanted glory, but in the end, it was the fear of death that brought hardship to us all! It was the inevitability of death that corrupted our sparks! If lives can no longer be taken, all war will end!"

Optimus's eyes widened, and he came to a stop in mid-air at Mindwipe. The bat-like Decepticon saw that Optimus had a point to make, and brought up his hand, holding Prowl back from attacking.

"You... you don't just want to bring people back to life? You want to make it so no one will ever _die?"_ exclaimed the Prime.

"You see the wisdom then," said Mindwipe, grinning behind his mask. "Think of it, Autobot! The Decepticon war machine would be pointless!. The Autobots will never have to fear another invasion. With the Spark Naginata and the Allspark, I will force both sides into a stalemate, where no lives will ever be lost again!"

"And how do you expect Cybertron to sustain that many lives?" shouted Optimus. "The energon that would be needed would be more than what Cybertron has access to!"

"With the inability to die, energy will be unnecessary! All we would need is the lifeblood from the Allspark," replied Mindwipe. "And with my wisdom controlling its power, we will spread through the galaxy and prosper, gaining whatever provisions and resources the Allspark itself would be unable to provide!"

"And meanwhile, you'd have supreme power over life and death!" replied Optimus.

"And who better to have that kind of power?" snapped Mindwipe. "I am the only one who sees the truth! I am the only one with the wisdom to guild us into that new era!"

Optimus gave no reply to this. Instead, he flew forward, swinging the Magnus Hammer in a wide arc. When Prowl flew in to counter him, Optimus winced and steeled him, keeping his weapon on course.

The hammer slammed into his comrade's chassis, sending him flying through the air. Then, with lightning charging into the weapon, he swung it at Mindwipe, who then proceeded to block it with the pole of the Spark Naginata.

"You're toying with my friend's memory," shouted Optimus, as the two weapons clashed, energy flaring up around them. "You've used Sari! _Hurt_ Sari, and manipulated her best friend into turning on us! The way I see it, _you don't have the wisdom to guide anyone!"_

Mindwipe grit his teeth, and the power welling between the Magnus Hammer and the Naginata surged outward, cracking his mask along with a portion of Optimus's faceplate. Eventually, they caused an explosion, sending them both hurtling towards the ground.

Optimus landed with a mighty crash, forming a crater. Moments later, his sense returned, and the Prime's optics flickered. Suddenly, he felt a pair of heavy arms pulling him to his stabilizing, followed by a plea from a familiar-sounding voice.

"Boss Bot! Boss Bot, are you alright?"

Optimus brought a hand to his forehead. "Bulkhead? Bulkhead, what are you doing here?"

"We got caught up in the attack," said a blue and yellow femmebot, who stood at Bulkhead's side. "My name is Glyph. Are you going to be alright, sir?"

Unfortunately, before Optimus could answer her, something else caught his attention. He pushed past them, gripping the Magnus Hammer and assuming a fighting stance. Mindwipe was back up too, and he didn't look happy.

"You know, Autobot," said Mindwipe, as he hovered up into the air. "The dead aren't the only things I can control!"

Mindwipe's eyes began to glow red, and he opened up his mouth. Then, he let loose a loud, piercing scream, whose volume caused everyone to cover their audio receptors in agony. It only lasted a few moments, however, and once it passed, Optimus looked up at Mindwipe.

"What was that supposed to do, Decepticon? Give me a processor ache!" he asked.

Mindwipe just made a face. "Hm. it didn't work on you. I wonder why that is?"

What happened next, Optimus had no way of anticipating. A large, powerful fist flew out and connected with his jaw. Optimus went flying, dropping the Magnus Hammer in the process. It had been _Bulkhead_ that hit him.

And upon realizing that, Optimus realized just what Mindwipe had meant. He looked up, and grit his teeth. Bulkhead and Glyph were both advancing moving towards him, their optics devoid of any will of their own.

Mindwipe chuckled darkly, and Prowl flew down, landing in step alongside them. "Processor-over-matter has a variety of uses. In this instance, I can use it to bend others' minds to to my will. It's usually quite successful, though I'm curious as to how you were able to resist it..."

Optimus didn't respond to Mindwipe. Instead, he drew his axe, and prepared for battle.

"Defiant to the end, I see," said Mindwipe. "Very well then... at the very least, I will reward your perseverance by remaining long enough to watch them finish you off!"

* * *

Far from all of the battles, Bumblebee had managed to pull himself off of the wall and was now sitting inside the mausoleum. His comm unit was picking up alerts on all channels, leaving the consequences of his actions blaring in both of his audio receptors.

He had been unable to save Sari, just like he'd been unable to do anything to help Wasp, or make up for what had happened to him. And now Prowl... Prowl and all of the others were being used like puppets, just like he had been.

So much for being in the Elite Guard someday, he thought. So much for being a hero like Optimus. Or slag, so much for achieving _anything._ Not even his speed was up to snuff... he'd been shamed in that category enough times already.

"Yo! Rodimus, everybody, he's over here!"

Bumblebee's optics widened upon hearing the sound of another voice, and he stood up, looking for the source. A yellow, blue, and red Autobot was approaching him, and was soon joined by a small group of other Autobots... a group that included _Ratchet._

"Brawn, Red Alert, secure the perimeter!" commanded a maroon and orange Autobot, who held a bow in his hands. "Hot Shot, Ironhide, take the suspect into custody!"

Before Bumblebee could say anything in protest, the yellow and blue Autobot, along with _someone else_ Bumblebee recognized, ran forward and seized him by the arms, forcing them behind him as they pushed the smaller Autobot to the ground.

"I-Ironhide? What are you doing here?"

"No time to talk right now, 'Bee," said his former comrade from boot camp. "You're... well, you're under arrest, dangit."

"Let him go."

Both Ironhide and the one called Hot Shot looked up at the sound of Ratchet's voice. The Autobot medic was giving them a defiant look that made them suddenly feel fearful. Looking for an answer from their commanding officer, who paused for a moment, and then nodded motioned for them to get off of Bumblebee.

Ratchet walked over, and pulled Bumblebee to his feet. "Bumblebee may be a foolish, arrogant, impulse-driven, slow thinkin' young punk, but even I know it's not in his character to do the things he did today. Not willingly anyway. That half-human kid's his best friend in the entire slaggin' world. There's no way he'd hurt her! Not if he had any sense about him!"

Bumblebee frowned. "Ratchet, I-"

"Not another word," growled Ratchet. "I got ordered to come and find you, so I got Rodimus and his team to accompany me here. You're lucky it was me, and not someone else. Honestly, do you think after everything we've been through, we're just gonna assume the worst of you kid? You make mistakes... but you're one of us, through and through."

Bumblebee's optics widened, and then found the floor. "But all of this... all of it's happening because of me...!"

"Then you're gonna help us fix it," said Ratchet, bending down to pick something off of the floor. "Part of being an Autobot is cleaning up messes, kid... even if they're sometimes our own."

He handed what he'd picked up to Bumblebee, causing the other Autobot to gasp in surprise. It was Prowl's Cyber-shuriken, which Prowl had used to pin him to the wall. The originals had been destroyed by Megatron on Earth, but they'd been restored before the funeral per Cyber Ninja tradition, stating that warriors should be laid to rest with their personal weapons.

Prowl had used them to disable him, and then left them behind. But Mindwipe had ordered him to remove Bumblebee... Though he was just an animated corpse, it made no sense for Prowl to leave him like that. Unless...

Bumblebee gripped both shuriken, and his expression hardened. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get out there and put a stop to all of this!"

Hot Shot grinned at that, and Ironhide pounded both fists together. Another member of the unit, a small green and olive colored Autobot, grunted in approval. Meanwhile, the group's medic, a femmebot who Bumblebee assumed must be "Red Alert", approached her commander.

"Rodimus, sir, our mission was to accompany Ratchet, secure the Veterans' Mausoleum, and then to escort the suspect to a secure facility..."

Rodimus mulled this over for a moment before he replied to her. "That may be, Red Alert, but you saw what's going on out there. It's every Autobot's duty to do what they can during this crisis. And besides," he said, eying Ratchet and Bumblebee, "I suspect Optimus Prime is expecting assistance from his subordinates!"

"Yeehaw!" shouted Hot Shot, flames flickering from the tips of his welding torches. "Finally, time for some real action!"

"No hot dogging," said Rodimus, shooting his subordinate a glare. "Now, let's get moving! **Transform and roll out!"**

Each Autobot converted into vehicle mode on Rodimus's order. As Bumblebee assumed his car mode, his internal systems incorporated the two shuriken, installing them on his rear wheels as hubcaps.

Somehow, even as a re-animated robot zombie, Prowl had deliberately spared him, and then left behind the clues he needed to realize that. And as the black and gold car drove forward, he activated his boosters. For what was likely the first time since he'd acquired them, he controlled them effortlessly, easily blowing past Hot Shot and Rodimus, taking his place at the front of the pack.

Mindwipe wasn't going to get away with this. He'd save Sari, and get her out of the mess he'd put her in.

Yes, Bumblebee had made a lot of mistakes in his life. But this one was one he was certain he'd set right.

_TO BE CONTINUED_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Hey everyone. Not much to say here, as I'm introducing these last two chapters in succession. I know I said it'd be just one more chapter, but... well, the climax got really really REALLY long. So the decision was made to chop it up into two chapters and release them both at the same time.

Seeya after the big finale guys. In the meantime, here's more bios.

* * *

**Name: Mindwipe**  
Function: Hypnotist  
"I will see what cannot be seen, and regain what has been lost."

Mindwipe is an enigma, even among his fellow Decepticons. A shadowy, mystical figure, he thrives in the shadows, secretly gathering knowledge and staying with the use of his hypnotic powers. Even after the Decepticons' exile from Cybertron, he has remained, quietly gathering intelligence on both the Autobots, and long forgotten secrets pertaining to the Allspark. Though he cooperates and honors his debts with Megatron, Mindwipe's true goal is to pierce the veil between the living and the dead, and bring an end to the violence that has plagued Cybertronian history. Mindwipe is thoroughly obsessed, and will stop at nothing to achieve this goal.

Abilities:  
- Transforms into Cybertronian stealth jet; armor masks his decepticon energy signature.  
- Able to use proccessor-over-matter to generate mind controlling waves.  
- Able to release a powerful sonic scream.

**Name: Blight**  
Function: Chemical and Radioactive Warfare  
"That which does not kill you..."

Though few know his origins, Blight is Patient Zero for the debilitating cosmic rust developed by the mad Decepticon scientist, Oil Slick. Originally a low ranking Decepticon test subject, Blight "volunteered" to be the first test subject for Oil Slick's debilitating plague. The disease consumed him, and it seemed Blight was destined to die, until the virus mutated due to exposure to Blight's own faulty power core. The mutation progressed until the cosmic rust fused with Blight entirely, transforming him into a walking plague. Now, he radiates disease along with dangerous levels of radiation, along with a variety of other noxious, corrosive substances. There is one other side effect to his mutation, however: it has made him completely incapable of feeling pain or any other sensation related to touch.

Abilities:  
- Transforms into Cybertronian tank.  
- Generates cosmic rust spores in liquid and gaseous form, in addition to other chemicals and being highly radioactive.  
- Unable to feel pain.

**Name: Brimstone**  
Function: Pyrotechnics  
"The best fire demands the best kindling - Autobots!"

Brimstone is a simple Decepticon. He only wants one thing: to burn down everything in front of him. However, he was too eager for the Decepticon Heavy Brigade, and was exiled from New Kaon. Mindwipe saw him as a worthy pawn, and brought the rogue Decepticon into his service on Cybertron. Brimstone thinks of himself as important, and is generally able to cause fear in other mechs, but he's as focused and controllable as the flames he generates. Thus, Mindwipe holds him at bay until Brimstone's frustration is greatest, and then turns him loose so that his destructive potential will be its highest.

Abilities:  
- Transforms into flame-launching assault vehicle.  
- Internal reactor core functions like a furnace, providing him with power and offense all at once.  
- Arm mounted flamethrowers work in conjunction with back-mounted incendiary launchers.

**Nightbeat**  
Function: Investigator  
"You can run, but you can't hide."

Though few know his name, Nightbeat has caught more criminals than Cybertron's entire Autotrooper division. Nightbeat possesses a shrewd, analytical mind, and no one understands criminals better than him. Furthermore, he'll never give up on something he's set his optics on, be it a target or a case. Nightbeat once worked as a part of Cybertron Intelligence, until he was recruited by the covert organization Alpha-31. Though their methods are sometimes questionable, Nightbeat's loyalty to Cybertron as a whole is unwavering. It's just that catching crooks is a dirty job, and someone - namely _him_ - has to do it.

Abilities:  
- Transforms into high-speed pursuit vehicle.  
- Always equipped with at least two pairs of stasis cuffs.  
- Partnered with transforming cyber hound named Muzzle.


	4. Chapter 04: Parting of Ways

**Transformers Animated  
Return to Cybertron  
Chapter 4: Parting of Ways**

**Transformers Animated is the property of Hasbro and Takara-Tomy. This fic is completely non-profit and exists for my own personal use and amusement. No infringement on the rights of the original creators is intended.**

**Sunstreaker as portrayed in this story is based on a concept created by Teal. I did not create this version of the character. All other OCs are my creation, save for those elements based on existing Transformers characters from other series.**

_Written By: Razorsaw_

* * *

_"You must not sacrifice a piece of the future to bring back the past."_

_The Cyber Ninja dojo. It served as a symbol of discipline, and honor that had a long history of producing skilled and legendary warriors. It was also the headquarters of an order that had been entrusted with the act of protecting a large number of protoforms. In a way, it represented both the past and future of the Autobot race._

_And today, a Decepticon walked through its hallowed walls._

_Yoketron's optics were fixed on the intruder, but he was not alarmed. This was not the first time that this Decepticon had paid him a visit, and Yoketron imagined it wouldn't be the last. Nevertheless, each appearance from the other warrior was different, and each time, he came for a different reason._

_"Why have you come here today, Mindwipe?"_

_The Decepticon's expression was unreadable, as it was hidden behind a mask. "I know about Project Omega, Yoketron," he said, putting what he knew out in the open. "I know that my it will be turned on my people, and that your weapon will cause much death and destruction."_

_Yoketron stared quietly for a moment, before answering him. "I see. I take it that you intend to inform the Decepticon high command, then?"_

_"I plan to do nothing of the sort, Yoketron."_

_Now **that** was surprising. Yoketron looked up, leveling a stern gaze on his visitor. "I never took you to be a traitor, Mindwipe. Though your order and mine have clashed numerous times in the past, I always took your spark to be an honorable one."_

_Mindwipe shook his head. "My path is not the same as the other Decepticons'. It is not even in step with the rest of the Dark Order. I will settle my debts with Megatron and Bludgeon, and then focus on my true intentions."_

_Yoketron's expression didn't change. "And what are those intentions, Mindwipe?"_

_"I have seen far too many sparks extinguished by this war, Yoketron. And they all fell in the pursuit of what? Power? Loyalty? How many lives have I myself taken out of a sense of misplaced obligation? Project Omega will be a catastrophe for Autobot and Decepticon alike... and if you will not stop it, Yoketron... I will see that tragedy undone!"_

_For a brief moment, a look of shock appeared on Yoketron's face, but quickly, it shifted to one of quiet fury. He knew just what Mindwipe meant by that._

_"Mindwipe, you cannot disturb that which is fundamental to life itself. We are born from the Allspark, and one day, we must return to it. That is the way of all things. The circle must not be broken."_

_"I have had my fill of having our fates beholden to that artifact, Yoketron. It is not alive, it is a **thing**... and it is high time that we stopped living according to its supposed will and used it to realize our destiny...!"_

_Yoketron did not even hesitate in his reply to that statement._

_"Mindwipe. You are far more like Megatron that you dare admit."_

_Though his expression could not be seen, it was evident that Yoketron's statement had struck a chord with Mindwipe. The Decepticon quickly turned around, transformed, and flew out of the dojo. Once he was gone, Yoketron sighed before returning to his quiet meditation._

_He could not have known that once outside, Mindwipe would fly to the top of a nearby building, land atop the roof, and activate his comm unit._

_"Mindwipe to Lockdown. It is time for your final test, young one."_

_**"Oh really? And what's that, 'sensei' Mindwipe?"** came the reply; one that was dripping with malevolence and thinly veiled sarcasm._

_Mindwipe looked back at the Cyber Ninja dojo._

_"... There is something Megatron wants you to acquire."_

* * *

The planet Cybertron had enjoyed relative peace for centuries, but today, it was finding itself rocked by conflict once again. But this time, the threat came not from Megatron and his malevolent ambition, but from one Transformer and his desire to conquer death.

All throughout Cybertron's most populous city-state, Autobots that had been slain in battle walked again. They walked, without spark, without direction of their own... save for the edicts given to them by Mindwipe. And he had ordered them to topple the seats of power, and to help him acquire the only thing he needed to realize his goals: the Allspark.

In front of the Metroplex, the seat of the Autobot High Council, several of the Cyber Ninja Corps were being forced to fight against a Decepticon who was being aided by their fallen teacher, Yoketron himself.

At the base of Fortress Maximus, the members of the Elite Guard struggled to defend their headquarters from the undead legions that were led by a Decepticon whose body seemed to be walking poison.

And finally, there was the struggle going on near Boltax, the headquarters of the Science Ministry and current location of the Allspark. There Optimus Prime was being forced to defend himself from attack by his own comrades. The first was his fallen friend Prowl, whose body was among those controlled by Mindwipe. The other was his team's strongman, Bulkhead, who had been trapped by Mindwipe's power of hypnosis.

All the while, Mindwipe looked on. He was no fool; he saw the potential for others to see hypocrisy in his goals. But he had watched the Autobots from the shadows for stellar cycle after stellar cycle. They would not accept his vision. They would not accept his goals.

He had no choice. In the end, destruction would beget a new beginning, and that would justify everything he had done. Every manipulation. Every lie. Every betrayal.

Even one that had signed a death warrant for someone whom Mindwipe had once respected.

* * *

A ways away from all three of the battles, a small group of Autobots were making a dash for Boltax. Leading the charge was Bumblebee, his boosters leaving a trail of exhaust in his wake. The yellow speedster behind him seemed impressed by his equipment, and tried to move closer to the other Autobot.

"Those rocket mods of yours sure seem impressive, partner," said Hot Shot, attempting to sound genial. "You know where a fella like me could get a set of those?"

"Uh, sorry," replied Bumblebee. "They're totally custom, and the guy who made them doesn't really live around here..."

"Well, shoot...!"

"Heads up, you turbo revvin' punks!" shouted Ratchet, alerting them to an obstacle coming up on their path. Said obstacle a crowd undead Transformers, that had happened to have marked them as targets.

"We need to clear a path," said Rodimus, taking charge. "We can't afford to waste time fighting them!"

"Then eave it to me and Brawn!" shouted Ironhide, driving up in front of his smaller fellow officer. Light flashed across the red Autobot's armor as he transformed into his super-alloy form. Then, Brawn pulled up behind him, transformed, and...

_"REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"_

... Threw out his fist, launching Ironhide forward like a cannonball. The youngster let out a "YEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW!" as he slammed through the group of zombie-like robots, scattering them and creating a path for the others to dash through.

"Good job, 'Hide!" laughed Hot Shot. "Now let me add a touch of my own!"

As he was making a break through the gap, Hot Shot turned his wheels sharply, whilst deploying his torches at the same time. Fire erupted from them just he began to go into a spin, dousing the remaining undead in flames. They all fell to the ground, momentarily disabled as Hot Shot and the others made it safely to the other side.

"Have some more respect for the dead!" barked Ratchet, pulling up alongside the younger Autobot.

"Aw come on, gramps!" argued Hot Shot. "It's not like they're gonna stay down!"

"And you want us to put em back into their funeral pods with their chassis half melted? They gave their sparks so punks like you could-!"

_"Stop wasting time!"_ snapped Bumblebee, interrupting the older mech's tirade. "We have a job to do, and we can't have you guys acting like a bunch of hot heads!"

With that, Bumblebee took off, and was quickly joined by the others. Ratchet, however, listed forward slowly for a moment, the old Autobot having been stunned in to silence.

Hot Shot's headlights turned towards Ratchet, and said, quietly, "That little guy just schooled you, old timer. That doesn't happen very often, does it?"

"No," replied Ratchet. "In fact, it's _never happened._ Now that it actually has... it _frightens me."_

From then on, neither of them said another word.

* * *

The Cyber Ninjas' battle wasn't going well. Though Star Saber and Jazz had managed to use processor over matter to overcome the paralysis Yoketron's corpse had inflicted on their systems, Brimstone and his so-called servant still had the upper hand. The only consolation was that the Autotroopers were having reasonable success at holding the undead at bay. Right now, the furnace-like Decepticon and Yoketron were _more_ than enough to deal with.

Jazz, who was still in the thick of things, had to duck to the side as Brimstone swiped at him. As his normally quick movements had been slowed due to the damage he'd already suffered, Jazz ended up being a few precious moments too late, and the Decepticon knocking him clear across the battlefield.

"Jazz!" shouted Grandus, as his fellow ninja crashed to the steel streets. He lumbered over, helping the smaller Autobot up. "Are you okay...?"

"I can still move, Big G," said Jazz, his words sounding pained. "It's Star Saber and the others that need the real help."

Grandus nodded, and looked in the direction of where he'd last seen Star Saber, and saw that Brimstone had joined Yoketron's corpse in attacking the Trypticon warden. Star Saber was managing to avoid both of their attacks by way of his jump jets. It was clear he was on the defensive, though, as Yoketron was allowing him no openings to get in an attack.

"This is stupid!" growled Tap Out. "I'm not gonna let them disgrace our sensei's memory, even if it means taking him out myself!"

Jazz's optics widened behind his visor as the other Autobot rushed towards Yoketron. "No! Tap Out, wait!" he cried, trying to stop the tiny bruiser.

But it was too late. Tap Out attempted to hit Yoketron with a punch from behind, only for the fallen ninja-bot to wheel around and strike Tap-Out with the same series of nerve blows that he'd used on Jazz earlier. Then, he grabbed the stunned Autobot's arm, and spun around before releasing him and sending him crashing violently into a nearby wall.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! BURN!" roared Brimstone, taking this opportunity to aim his flamethrowers at Tap-Out and fire them. Luckily, Star Upper hopped down in vehicle mode, and managed to carry Tap Out to safety before the Decepticon's blaze could hit him. Meanwhile, Star Saber reluctantly took advantage of Yoketron's shift in focus, and boosted away from his undead sensei.

"That's one man down," remarked Star Garry, who landed beside Jazz and Grandus. But Brimstone wasn't finished. He continued spewing flames, sending them at the three Cyber Ninjas. The bots scattered, with Jazz transforming into his once stylish vehicle mode and taking cover behind a ruined wall.

"Okay, new plan!" Jazz shouted to his fellow ninjas. "Autotroopers, get Xaaron, Cliffjumper, and Botanica out of here!"

"What?" Cliffjumper shouted from a short distance away. "We just got out here, and now you're telling us we have to leave?"

"That was before the single greatest warrior in Cybertronian history showed up!" snapped Jazz. "Now, get them out of here! That's an order!"

Before the three councilbots could protest further, a group of Autotroopers immediately responded, quickly hurrying all three of them back into the building. That left the Cyber Ninjas alone against Brimstone and Yoketron, with the remaining Autotroopers still preoccupied in holding the other undead at bay.

"How are we going to do this?" Grandus whined. "None of us were ever able to defeat him! Not even in a _sparring_ match! The only one who ever did was-!"

_"Lockdown,"_ Jazz replied, hatred burning in his voice. Then, he stepped out from behind his cover, setting his gaze forward. "I hate to say it, but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to take a page from his playbook. You cats with me?"

It took only a short, conflicted pause before the others voiced their agreement.

Silently, they all switched to private radio. No more commands or strategy would be vocalized. Jazz transmitted them their orders, and thus, Grandus and Heavy Load stepped out alongside Jazz.  
"Ahahaha!" cackled Brimstone. "Are you so eager to die that you'll come out into the open, Cyber Ninjas? Very well then, your sensei and I will oblige!"

Then, as Brimstone spewed forth another geyser of flame, Grandus surged forward, bringing up his arms to shield his massive frame from the fires that were coming at him. But even with his massive girth, he couldn't stand up to them, and fell to his knees.

But it wasn't his job to break through.

It was his job to be a _springboard_ for Heavy Load. The yellow Autobot dropped his personal gravity drastically, and then ran up Grandus's massive frame, and from then on, jumped up high into the air. Once he reached the height of his jump, he increased his weight massively, rocketing down like a living meteor. Realizing what was about to happen, Brimstone moved to scramble out of the way, but he wasn't very fast. Heavy Load struck down, shattering the ground and knocking the Decepticon off his feet.

Heavy Load fell to the ground, the impact having shattered the suspension in his stabilizing servos. Brimstone let out a growl and began to try and get back up, just as Star Upper leaped out of where he'd been hiding, intent on striking the Decepticon with an electrified, piston-powered punch.

This drew out Yoketron, who had avoided Heavy Load's assault. He attacked Star Upper, violently thrashing him with the Cyber Ninjas' Five Servos of Doom technique. As Star Upper fell into stasis lock, Brimstone took notice, and laughed. "What the slag was that supposed to do? Now there are only three of you!"

Indeed, only Jazz, Star Saber, and Sky Garry remained, and neither of them were intent on not continuing. Star Saber drew his blade, and made a brazen charge forward, straight at Brimstone. The Decepticon laughed again, and trained his flamethrowers on the Autobot, firing yet again.

And this was _just what Sky Garry was waiting for._ The red and blue Autobot leaped in front of Star Saber and began to generate a large whirlwind. The fires were whipped into a blazing tornado, which Garry had to struggle to maintain. Then, he focused his optics on Yoketron...

"I'm sorry."

With that short apology, Garry turned the flames on his own sensei. Yoketron tried to avoid them, but all of a sudden, Jazz leaped down behind him and grabbed his sensei's body, holding him in place to be hit by the redirected blaze. As the attack struck them, Yoketron let out no cry of pain... no lament or remorse... just an unchanging, unblinking stare as his own chassis began to melt, sealing to the ground.

Finally, it proved too much for both Autobots. Garry dispersed the flames, and both he and Jazz fell back, their armor severely blackened.

"Clever!" shouted Brimstone, still sounding confident. "You Cyber Ninjas sure are cold, takin' out your own teacher like that! But now there's just one of you, and I'm worth more than a dozen Autobots!"

Star Saber just stared back at him defiantly, anger burning in his optics. Brimstone's expression curled into a sneer. "You're cocky for someone about to die," growled the Decepticon. "And yannow what? I'm gonna make sure that Mindwipe doesn't bring you... back?"

Something had grabbed his leg. He looked down, and saw Heavy Load clinging to it, the Autobot having crawled up behind him while he'd been distracted talking.

_"Surprise,"_ the ninja wrestler said, just before increasing his own weight again.

Brimstone's optics widened, and he attempted to wrest his leg free. It was to no avail. There was no escaping Heavy Load's grip. The Autobot was heavy and held on like an industrial-grade vice. Brimstone began to use his flamethrowers, but then, he realized the trap and craned his head up just in time to-

_"GRK!"_

- look into Star Saber's optics as the Autobot plunged his sword into the Decepticon's spark chamber.

_"You feel that, you monster?"_ hissed Star Saber, hatred in his voice for what Brimstone had forced them to do to their sensei's body. "Take it! Take it all, right into your twisted, infernal spark!"

Brimstone let out scream, his voice a mix of agony and rage, just his spark chamber violently exploded. His internal systems overloaded, belching out their final plumes of flame. His optics shattered, smoke pouring out of them, and he fell back with a heavy grinding noise, never to rise again.

Star Saber fell to his knees and clutched at his chestplate. Then looked up, and saw Jazz struggling to move his arm. Before slipping into stasis lock, the other ninja managed to give him a thumbs up.

Star Saber would have smiled back, if he had a mouth. But before he could get back up, something grabbed him from behind, pulling his arms back and forcing a set of stasis cuffs on him. Then, he fell forward, flat on his face.

"Alright boys," said the voice of his attacker. "The ninja bots did their part. Now let's make sure these walking scrap heaps don't tear them apart while they take their nap. Nighty night!"

That voice! He knew that voice!

But before he could voice a protest, he felt a sudden electrical surge against his back. Just before slipping into system shut down, Star Saber caught a glimpse of a blue Autobot's leg... and then...

Nothing.

* * *

The Decepticon called Blight was not like his colleague, Brimstone. Brimstone was all about shock and awe, and proving his power through great spectacles followed by lots and lots of shouting.

Blight? He thrived on causing fear.

After his entrance, he drew back from the front lines, sending wave after wave of undead Autobots at the Elite Guard and the worthless little pawns. Then, when they fell, he swooped in, and sprayed them with his body's fluids that sent the Autotroopers scattering, throwing their ranks into chaos. In short, he was demoralizing them with a seemingly unbeatable enemy, and then breaking their formation with the threat of a painful, corrosive death.

Each one would die, alone, torn apart by a former comrade, or from the poison that was Blight's very being.

Suddenly, though, a powerful sonic shockwave tore through a group of undead Autobots, blasting through their bodies and continuing on towards Blight. The radioactive Decepticon was forced to try and evade, but he was several moments too late. The blast carved out a sizable chunk of his shoulder armor.

This frustrated his attacker. Warpath had been hoping for something more solid. The red Autobot growled, took aim again, and fired.

This time it was a direct hit, landing square in the middle of Blight's torso. But before Warpath could start feeling satisfied with himself, Blight began walking forward as though nothing had happened, even as his chestplate fell to the ground. The broken armor revealed the twisted circuitry beneath... full of cosmic rust spores that shined with a radioactive glow.

"My my," said the skull-faced Decepticon. "That's not a standard issue weapon for an Autobot, now is it? Judging by how it hit me, it functions exactly like a concussive wave blaster. You've modified yourself, haven't you?."

"It's for taking out Decepticon scum like you!" roared Warpath, firing again. **"KABLAM!"**

Another shot erupted from Warpath's chest weapon, and it scored another direct hit. Blight stumbled back this time... before continuing his slow march forward.

"Oh, I know why you have it. It goes without saying really," Blight replied, almost sounding calm. "Judging by your zeal in attacking me, you're probably a veteran of the Great War. You hate my kind because you know what we're capable of. You're scared of what we might do to you. You hate us because we can hurt you... cause you pain. And that's understandable really, everyone's afraid of pain. Though in my case..."

Warpath let loose a loud scream, and unleashed the full power of his weapon on Blight. Just before the impact, Blight's arm deployed a canister of something, and he threw it into the shockwave's path. The canister exploded into a cloud of green gas in which Warpath soon found himself caught. Before he knew what was happening, cosmic rust was crawling across his body.

_"I was like you once, Autobot! Until the cosmic rust changed me... turned me into a weapon that could longer feel pain, or anything else! A WEAPON THAT CAN NO LONGER FEEL FEAR!"_

Blight was there, in front of Warpath, those red optics burning with such intensity that they seemed to bore straight into Warpath's very spark. A radioactive burst exploded from Blight's claws, sending Warpath flying backwards, until he landed with a sickening crash, parts of his armor shattering from the impact.

_"WARPATH!"_ Dai Atlas cried, seeing his fallen comrade. Sentinel Prime, who stood next to him, could only mutter a choice expletive as he hid behind a makeshift rampard.

"Sentinel Prime to Autotrooper Commander!" he said into his communicator. "_Please_ tell me you've managed to bring Maximus' weapon systems on-line."

_"Not yet, Sentinel Prime, sir. We don't yet have enough power to fire the main cannon."_

"Well, what about the secondary weapons?" Sentinel replied angrily. "We just need a big enough shot to put the odds in our favor!"

_"Well, I can get us a shot each from the two secondary cannons, but it won't be enough for a second round. If we miss, or something goes wrong, we'd have to start all over..."_

"I don't care!" shouted Sentinel. "I'll take it! Deploy them right now!

Sentinel stood up and moved out from behind the rampard, intent on gloating in Blight's direction. However, he found at least five undead Autobots leaping at both him and Dai Atlas.

While Sentinel let out a high pitched scream and then expanded his shield, Dai Atlas activated the drills on his shoulders. He quickly took care of the ones that were attempting to swarm his body off of him, and then he spun around, taking care of those that were trying to beating at Sentinel's shield.

"What's the matter with you?" shouted the Cyber Ninja. "You could at least fight back!"

Sentinel grit his teeth, but before he could snap a retort back at Atlas, he heard the familiar clanking sound of Fortress Maximus deploying his weapons. As two large laser cannons deployed near the base of the tower, Sentinel grinned, and thrust his fist up in the air.

"Someone get Warpath off the battlefield!" he shouted, before turning his comm back on. "Commander, on my mark, fire!"

Arcee heard his words, and stopped what she was doing, racing into the thick of the battlefield in the direction where Warpath had fallen. The sound of the energy cannons powering up served as a reminder to act quickly. But then, as she reached Warpath's prone form, Arcee realized something...

Cosmic rust was _contagious._ How could she get Warpath to safety without touching him?

... There was only one option. She took out both of her blades, and slammed them down into Warpath's brittle chassis. Then, she deployed her vehicle mode wheels, which slotted flipped out onto to her ankles. She then started to move back, using the wheels like makeshift skates as she attempted to get Warpath out of what was about to become a blast zone.

She made it, and not a moment too soon, as once they were clear, the cannons opened fire. Two thundering boom and an all consuming flash of white light later, everything withing half a kilometer of the impact point was _vaporized._

Once the shockwave from the blast passed, and the dust and debris began to clear, Dai Atlas looked out at the battlefield... only to recoil in shock at what he saw. Namely, a gigantic, smoking crater.

"You just... you just completely blew them out of existence!" the Cyber Ninja cried cried. "All those honored warriors, gone! You have disgraced their memories!"

"Hey, better them than us," grunted Sentinel, as he dusted himself off.

But then Sentinel noticed something out of the corner of his optics: a pale green glow hovering above the crater.

"Oh slag," he breathed. It was Blight. He wasn't _dead_ yet.

But the Decepticon didn't attack. Instead, he turned, and began to fly in the direction he and his army had arrived from, with the remaining undead following after him. Atlas and Arcee both shot Sentinel a look, and he sighed in frustration.

"Alright, everyone! After that Decepticon!"

As the Autobots prepared to mobilize, Blight activated his own comm device.

"Mindwipe. It appears your plan didn't account for our soldiers being _vaporized!"_

_"What? What's your status, Blight?"_

"I suffered minor damage. But the Autobots fired Fortress Maximus' weapons, and most of my soldiers are now flakes of titanium littering the atmosphere. What's more, I can't get Brimstone's signal. I fear that he must have failed as well."

A shot period of silence followed before Blight heard Mindwipe snarl in frustration. _"I'll call your soldiers back here,"_ the other Decepticon replied. _"Regroup with me... as long as we can claim the Allspark, we will still meet with success!"_

"Hm, yes, of course," said Blight. "I'll be right there. Blight, over and out."

But then the corrosive Decepticon turned, taking off in a different direction from where Mindwipe was located. While Blight couldn't feel pain, he and Mindwipe had something in common in that they both feared death.

_Unlike_ Mindwipe, though, Blight was not nearly as dedicated to the goal of seeing that fear invalidated. What use was fighting for eternal life if you died tried to attain it? Besides, he had done enough to prove himself at this point.

In the optics of those that mattered, anyway.

* * *

At any other time, Optimus would have commended Bulkhead for how his combat skills had improved. The big green lug had come along way from getting his wrecking ball stuck things.

But at _this_ point in time, he was starting to wish Bulkhead was a bit _less_ proficient in wielding his signature weapon.

The blue femmebot fighting alongside him was inexperienced, at least. Though Mindwipe had them hypnotized, it was apparent that it operated on the power of suggestion. He wasn't controlling them like puppets, his hypnosis only gave them ORDERS on what to do. How well they fought depended upon how good Mindwipe's victims were to begin with.

Of course, realizing that didn't help at all when Bulkhead's wrecking ball came swinging at his head. Optimus dived to the side, avoiding it, and then had to jump back in order to dodge the femmebot's clumsy stinger marksmanship. Optimus eyed the Magnus Hammer, sitting a few meters behind them. He felt like it was just about in reach, but at the same time, he knew Bulkhead would stop him if he made a break for it.

_SKKKNT!_

And then there was Prowl. Optimus fell forward, as the undead Autobot slammed his seismic staff into him from behind. Optimus grunted in pain, as he felt the surge from his damaged wingpack.

"HRAAAAAGH!"

Bulkhead's cry served as a warning for Prime to move out of the way again, but he wasn't fast enough. His optics widened as he realized that Bulkhead's wrecking ball had _mangled_ his left wing, in addition to having knocked off his right shoulder cannon.

"Bulkhead!" he shouted, trying to appeal to his friend one more time. "You have to snap out of this!"

His only answer was another scream of rage, and another swing of the wrecking ball. Optimus fired his boosters, at least gaining enough lift to get into the air. But then Prowl followed after him, attacking with his arm blades.

But Prime wasn't defenseless. Even if he didn't have the Magnus Hammer, he _did_ have his axe. Quickly, he drew it, and clashed his weapon against Prowl's. As sparks flared between them, Optimus got a look at Prowl's sparkless, empty optics...

... And for a brief moment, he thought he saw something flash across them.

A split second later though, something slammed into him from behind, and Optimus let out a scream of pain. It was Mindwipe, having stabbed the Spark Naginata into him, causing a violent surge of energy to rip through Prime's circuitry.

"Though I disdain using a priceless relic for such a base purpose, I am on _borrowed time!"_ snarled Mindwipe. "And frankly, I have had more than enough of _you_ right now, Optimus Prime!"

Optimus fell to the ground, his axe slipping from his hand and falling to the ground several feet away from him. He looked up, and weakly began to move his arm towards it, when...

... Bulkhead's wrecking ball came down on it. The solitarium blade shattered, and then the rocket booster crumpled, causing what was left of Optimus's personal weapon to explode. And all Optimus could do was quite literally watch as the weapon he'd wielded since he'd first came on-line quite literally blew up in his face.

Gritting his teeth, Optimus pushed himself to his feet. Bulkhead responded by attacking again, but Prime proved quicker this time, letting loose a spray of fire retardant foam into his larger friend's optics. He then rushed forward and leaped over the large Autobot, heading towards where the Magnus Hammer rested.

Prowl attempted to stop him, but Prime used a different gadget, firing off the dual bolos from his arm. They wrapped around Prowl and caused him to drop to the ground. With Glyph's electrical shots easy enough to dodge, the only threat that was left was...

_Mindwipe._ Mindwipe who flew down, beginning to try and stop Optimus with a sonic scream...

... Only for Optimus to fire off another set of bolos, which wrapped around Mindwipe's face and completely covered his mouth.

As all of his temporarily incapacitated foes started to recover, Optimus reached his destination, wasting no time in lifting up the Magnus Hammer. Optimus Prime let loose a cry of anger, and lightning rained down from the sky.

Mindwipe and Prowl narrowly flew out of the way, but two of the thunderbolts struck Bulkhead and Glyph. They both let out screams of pain, but what they'd been hit with was nowhere near the full extent of what the Magnus Hammer was capable of unleashing. It did however knock them out of the hold Mindwipe had on them, which was signaled by their optics resuming their normal color.

"What... what did we do?" Glyph groaned.

"Aw man...!" Bulkhead bellowed, stomping forward. "Boss Bot! Optimus! I'm so sorry! I didn't know what I was-"

"It's okay Bulkhead," interrupted Optimus. "Now get ready, soldier! This isn't anywhere _near_ over!"

Bulkhead looked up, as Glyph let out a scream of terror. Mindwipe was hovering above them, Prowl at his side and Allspark energy flaring from the Naginata's blades. Below him, the undead army that had, until now, been held in check was assembling to attack them.

"For a time, I considered giving you a worthy death, Optimus Prime," he said. "Fighting and falling to your own colleagues would have held a delicious irony... but I think I'll settle for having these honored veterans _dismember you!"_

"I thought you were doing this for the good of all Cybertronians, Mindwipe," challenged Optimus. "How are you expecting to lead anyone after you've gotten your servos on the Allspark, when you get angry so easily after losing a battle!"

Mindwipe's optics widened, and for a moment he hesitated to answer.

"Do you have any idea how long I've waited? Would you suffer such resistance well?"

"And how do you think people will feel once you'd succeeded?" demanded Optimus. "What do you think these 'honored veterans' will think after they're brought back, knowing what you had them do?"

Mindwipe's optics twitched behind his mask, and he let out a wrathful shriek. He sped down at Optimus, intent on rending the Autobot to pieces with the Naginata...

... Only to be struck in the side of the head by a cyber shuriken, which embedded itself in his helmet. Mindwipe stopped awkwardly in mid-air, but that only allowed him to be hit by the second one followed after its predecessor, slicing into the side of his waist armor.

What came at him next was a blur of black and gold. The small Autobot came out of nowhere, slamming into him in vehicle mode and knocking the Decepticon to the ground.

"THIS IS FOR USING ME!" screamed his assailant, striking Mindwipe across the face with a hook from his right servo.

_"THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU DID TO SARI!"_ came another shout, as he hit with his left.

_**"AND THIS IS FOR USING PROWL LIKE HE'S YOUR SLAGGING PUPPET, YOU DECEPTICON SLIME!"**_ shrieked Bumblebee, who activated both his stingers. He brought them down, slamming them against Mindwipe's mask and causing it to finally into numerous pieces.

Mindwipe gaped, his expression fully revealed, looking upwards as the young Autobot stood over him triumphantly. For a brief, agonizing moment, the Decepticon felt fear from this diminutive warrior... fear that he was at the mercy of someone who he'd manipulated so easily earlier that very same day.

And then, as Bumblebee bent down to remove the shuriken from Mindwipe's frame, Prowl jetted down, and stabbed Bumblebee in the back.

The small Autobot let out a scream of pain, and Mindwipe acted quickly, getting back on his feet and grabbing Bumblebee while he was still stunned. _"TEAR THEM ALL APART!"_ he roared, commanding the undead army as he ascended into the air. Then he flew up to his skiff, Prowl following after him dutifully.

As Optimus, Bulkhead and Glyph struggled to process what had just happened, several other new arrivals suddenly barreled through the numbers of Mindwipe's army. The first of them was a yellow speedster, who transformed and held several of their would-be attackers at bay with his arm torches as the others followed suit, transforming and running towards the trio.

"Ironhide?" bellowed Bulkhead, who recognized one of them.

"Bulkhead? Well, isn't this one crazy solar cycle?"

Before Optimus say anything of his own, one of the new arrivals, a maroon and orange Autobot, presented himself before the Prime. "Optimus Prime, sir! Commander Rodimus Minor reporting!"

"At ease soldier," replied Optimus. "What the slag is going on?"

Before Rodimus could answer that question, a more familiar face pushed past him. "Prime!" shouted Ratchet. "Where'd that shriek-bat winged freak make off with Bumblebee?"

Having no desire to complicate matters by asking Ratchet why he and these others were here, Optimus instead looked up in the direction of Mindwipe's skiff. The vehicle had already taken off towards Boltax.

"They're going after the Allspark," stated Optimus. "We have to get to them before-"

"I know," said Ratchet. He turned, looking at Rodimus. "We have to rescue Bumblebee and the techno-organic that Decepticon's kidnapped. We need to carve a path through several hundred of my old war buddies _fast._ Can any of your 'bots help us do that?"

Rodimus smirked at then, and then nodded. "Brawn, show them what you're made of!"

"I'm on it, chief!" shouted the stumpy, green-hued Autobot... who then proceeded to slam his fists into the ground and _lift up a portion of the road_, sending the undead soldiers topping over in the process. Then, he charged forward, using the chunk as a makeshift battering ram.

Seeing this, Bulkhead's jaw fell open, and his wrecking ball just fell to the ground with a thud.

"Huh," said Ratchet, giving a shrug. "I didn't know that little guy could talk."

* * *

The prow of Mindwipe's sky skiff crashed through one of the uppermost walls of the Boltax, effectively getting its master and his pawn and hostages in side. Thankfully, enough of his minions had swarmed the place while he had been detained while dealing with Optimus Prime. That meant he didn't have to deal with any resistance - it was otherwise occupied.

He knew where to go. The girl sensed the presence of the Allspark, and so did Mindwipe, through the power of the link provided by the Naginata. He carried Sari and the machine she was hooked up to under one arm, while holding the Naginata in the other. Prowl followed behind, dragging Bumblebee along with him.

"Stop," groaned Sari. "Haven't you... haven't you hurt enough people today?"

"Dear child," sighed Mindwipe, "I've hurt enough people in my _lifetime._ That's why I'm doing this."

"... You're not just afraid then," said Sari, closing her eyes. "You feel guilty..."

Mindwipe stopped for a moment, before sneering at her and continuing onward. Mere minutes later, they reached their destination. Rather than bother with opening the door, Mindwipe simply let loose a sonic scream, blowing it out of its frame. In the process, he knocked the white-colored Autobot who'd been guarding it into stasis lock.

The Autobot scientist Perceptor was there, standing calmly, as though he had been waiting for this to happen. He regarded his fallen friend with a quick glance, and let out a short sigh.

**"Wheeljack shall be very cross when he comes back on-line."**

"Out of my way, Autobot," Mindwipe demanded.

Perceptor just fixed his cold, unfeeling gaze on the Decepticon. **"I cannot do that. Autobots are sworn to protect all life, and the Allspark is life incarnate."**

"Don't give me that," growled Mindwipe. "I know who you are. You're Perceptor, the Autobot who deleted his own emotional subroutines so his processor could contain more data. You're also a merchant of death, free of morals and suffering from the consequences of what you create. The weapons you've created are responsible for the deaths of thousands!"

**"That may be,"** replied the red Autobot, **"but to preserve life is not to avoid death and killing entirely, Decepticon. This is not a mere ideal. Not a poetic belief. It is scientific."**

"What is so scientific about killing our own people?" screamed Mindwipe.

**"You think too small. All sparks must one day fade. Perpetual life will lead to the unchecked consumption of resources. What must be preserved is the cycle of death and creation, not individual lives."**

Mindwipe didn't answer Perceptor this time. Instead, he let out another sonic scream. Perceptor was blown off his feet, and he hit a nearby wall, falling into stasis lock from the sudden impact.

With that, there were no more obstructions. Mindwipe's goal lay right in front of him. Sitting in a scanning machine, no more than ten meters away, was _the Allspark itself._

A feeling of joy filled Mindwipe as he ran forward. So excited was the Decepticon that he didn't notice a flicker of energy spark from the device, and then surge across the ground towards Prowl.

Once Mind reached the console, he set the half-human down, and began to remove the Allspark from the device's compartment. It was still held in the new container that had been forged for it, but all he had to do was press the Naginata to it, and-

_FRZZZAP!_

A bolt of electricity flew out, blasting the object out of Mindwipe's servos. The Decepticon looked in the direction the blast had come from, and saw Bumblebee, free and standing there with his combined stingers pointed directly at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" screamed Mindwipe. "How did you get free?"

Wait. _Where was Prowl?_

Mindwipe got his answer, as he felt a force suddenly pull the Spark Naginata out of his hands. He looked in the direction it had flown in, and saw Prowl's seemingly lifeless body gripping the weapon.

"No...!" Mindwipe cried, starting to back away. This... this was _impossible_. Prowl shouldn't have been able to act on his own. He was _supposed_ to follow his commands!

Then, Mindwipe felt himself bump into something. He turned, and saw that it wasn't a wall, or a piece of equipment. Rather, it was the cold, gray chassis of an Autobot that was long since dead.

And he wasn't alone. Numerous lifeless Transformers were shambling into the chamber, advancing towards him. Seized by fear, Mindwipe tried to fly upwards, but felt the same force that had taken the naginata way from him rooting him to the floor.

A loud clank rang out, as Prowl freed Sari from the device that held her. At once, her eyes began to glow, as did the Allspark, which was also soon pulled out of Mindwipe's hands.

_"It's over,"_ both she, Prowl, and Bumblebee said together.

Numerous cold, metal servos began to grab at Mindwipe. As they swarmed him, the Decepticon let out a scream.

And then, the entire world erupted into white.

* * *

"Where are we?"

Those were the words that Bumblebee and Sari both asked, when they found themselves looking at their new surrounding. Or rather, their complete _lack_ of surroundings. Everything around where they stood was just a blank, empty void, with nary an object or soul in sight.

Well, there was one soul, at the very _least._

"Hello Bumblebee. Hello, Sari."

They both recognized that voice immediately even before his visage materialized in front of them. It was Prowl. Not just his cold, lifeless shell, but the black and gold colored, unmistakable Autobot Prowl, looking just as he had in life.

"It's you!" Bumblebee cheered, running forward, Sari close behind him. Once they reached him, the girl wrapped her arms around what she could of Prowl's leg, while Bumblebee just stood there, grinning as wide as he possibly could.

"It's really you..." Bumblebee affirmed, as he stared at his friend. Prowl's optics met with his, and... Bumblebee instantly felt his spirits sink. Oh, he was still happy, but he knew what the look Prowl gave him meant.

"I'm sorry," the young Autobot said, looking down and closing his optics. "I'm sorry, for always being a screw up. While all of you were just better, improving yourselves, _learning_ things... I fooled around. I never remembered my lessons. I never-"

"Bumblebee."

Bumblebee looked up, his mouth falling open a bit. Prowl smiled back at him, and patted the smaller Autobot on the top of his head.

"I entrusted you with my weapons for a reason," he said. "What you couldn't do, in the time we knew each other, do now, Bumblebee. After all, you may be small, you're scrappy, right? I'm sure you can honor those symbols you're wearing, and make Optimus and the others proud."

Bumblebee laughed nervously. "Actually, um... the elite guard symbols are fake..."

Prowl chuckled softly. "I know."

Then, Prowl knelt down, getting himself closer to Sari. The girl stepped back, wiping away some of her tears from her eyes.

"In my time on Earth, I learned so much about you humans, and that's all thinks to you " mused Prowl, as he gently wiped some of the moisture off of herself. "Sari, you have a long road ahead. There will be some trials you need to overcome... some answers you need to find for yourself... but I'm confident that you can do it. Believe in yourself, and the people around you."

"I k-know," Sari stammered. "I'll do my best to make you proud...!"

Prowl nodded, and stood up. Bumblebee and Sari both looked saddened as he turned his back to them. "I have something to ask of you," he said, his voice heavy with sadness as well.

"Hey man, anything," Bumblebee replied.

"Take my body, and lay it to rest on Earth. I'd like you to do it on the Dinobots' island... maybe under a nice, shady tree."

Sari and Bumblebee looked surprised at that, but they quickly nodded in affirmation. "That'll be no problem..." answered Bumblebee, trying not to sound overwhelmed.

"Thank you, my friends," replied Prowl. "Give Optimus, Ratchet, and Bulkhead my best," he said.

"We will," they both replied in unison. For a moment after that, neither of them said anything. There was really nothing left to say, but...

"Goodbye."

And with that, they were gone.

But there was still another matter left for Prowl to attend to.

"It's time to go, Mindwipe."

The Decepticon had been there the whole time, though neither Sari nor Bumblebee had realized it. Mindwipe had his wings and his arms crossed in front of him, and he refused to look at Prowl. His mask covered his face again, but being where they were, the damage done to his mortal shell was inconsequential.

"I'm afraid," the Decepticon said, his voice quiet and timid.

"There is nothing to be afraid of, my fellow warrior."

Those words hadn't come from Prowl. Mindwipe felt a hand on his shoulder, so he looked out from behind his wings. He gasped when he saw who it was, his mask coming off and revealing his frightened, sorrowful face.

"Y-Yoketron..." he stammered, his mask slamming back down. "No... no... I... I don't deserve for you be here...!"

Yoketron smiled back in response. "Do not fear, Mindwipe. You leave such dark emotions behind when you move on like we have."

"Indeed. Even for a spark as wretched as yours, Mindwipe," said Prowl, as he came up alongside the pair, "there is rest waiting for you in the Well of All Sparks."

A bright light flared up all around them, and Mindwipe felt a great warmth well up from within him. In those few short moments before entering eternity, he finally started to realize the truth that he avoided for so long.

At long last, Mindwipe knew that he had nothing to fear.

* * *

"What the slag just happened?" cried Hot Shot, as he gaped at the scene all around him.

They had made it to the entrance of Boltax, but the army of undead Transformers had simply stopped moving. Instead, they stood, frozen, or lying prone on the ground, as lifeless as they should rightfully be.

"Ohhhkay, this may just about be the most morbid thing I've ever seen in my life," said the young soldier, earning a sharp elbow from Brawn.

Red Alert stepped forward, and activated her medical scanner. "I'm not detecting anything. No external signals, no mysterious energy sources... they're completely, well, _dead."_

"Thank you for stating the obvious," grumbled Ratchet. "They're like they _should_ be. The only thing keeping them up and moving around was Sari and that Decepticon's slagging weapon."

"Then," began Rodimus, "does that mean that that the Decepticon who started all of this is...?"

Optimus was about to finish Rodimus's thought for him, when he saw something emerging from the building. It was Bumblebee, struggling to carry Prowl's shell in his arms, while a very weary-looking Sari sat on his shoulder. Tucked under one of Bumblebee's arms was the Spark Naginata, along with Prowl's two shuriken.

"Bumblebee!" shouted Optimus, as he and the group scrambled towards them. "You're... you're alright...!"

"You could say that," Bumblebee replied, wearily. "Though I'm gonna need a really _long_ stasis nap..."

"How'd you do it, little buddy?" asked Bulkhead. "I mean, not even Optimus could beat that guy!"

Bumblebee paused for a moment, looking back to Sari for a moment. She nodded to him, and she began to speak. "That Decepticon... Mindwipe... he wasn't really defeated, Bulkhead. He had lost, from the moment he started all of this."

This didn't seem to do anything more than create more confusion, but before Sari could finish, the sound of approaching engines filled the air. Sentinel Prime was heading their way, followed by Arcee, Dai Atlas, and a small contingent of Autotroopers.

"What the slag is going on here?" shouted Sentinel, as he transformed and marched towards Bumblebee. "Troopers, arrest that thief, right now!"

"Hey now, Sentinel!" shouted Optimus. "Bumblebee isn't responsible for what happen-"

"Big Bot, it's fine. I'll go."

Optimus's optics widened. He turned towards Bumblebee, who had handed Prowl's body over to Bulkhead - who looked just as surprised as Optimus himself did. He then handed the Naginata off to Sari, and stepped forward, raising his arms in surrender.

"I didn't have any control over what I did," the small Autobot stated, looking stern and calm. "And I'm sure the evidence or whatever will prove that."

"Um, alright," said Sentinel, looking rather surprised by what Bumblebee had said. "Take him away, officer..."

"Aye aye," said the security bot, as he walked up and clapped a pair of stasis cuffs onto Bumblebee. Then, both he and another of his make and model began to lead him away. As he went along quietly, Bumblebee looked over his shoulder to shoot his friends a confident grin.

And Sari smiled too, when suddenly, she felt something coming from the item she was now holding. Realizing what it meant for her to do, she hovered up, whistling to get everyone else's attention.

"Guys? It's been a really long day, but there's something else I think we need to take care of..."

* * *

Two and a half megacycles later, Sari found herself in the Cybertron Central Infirmary, along with Optimus and the others, Sentinel, and Councilor Alpha Trion. They were here because of what she had to offer, but it had taken some time to convince everyone to let her try and do what she intended to do.

Though the day's ordeal had taken a lot out of her, she was eager to enact the desire the so-called weapon had communicated to her. Like most machines, it sent her a message, that it was meant for something other than what Mindwipe had intended it for.

The Naginata could be a weapon, yes, but only because people had chosen to use it as such. Its true purpose was to serve as a link between the Allspark and whatever it sought to impart its power upon. Mindwipe had used Sari as a replacement for the Allspark, so he could use the Naginata to raise an army that would help him get his servos on the real thing. But the Naginata wasn't meant to control. It wasn't meant to dominate.

"Its true purpose is to be a key," stated Sari. "A key, like the one I used to have."

Her booster pack activated, and she hovered up, looking over the prone form of Ultra Magnus. The large, blue, white, and black Autobot had once looked so powerful, but now, as he lay there on spark support, he looked as frail and powerless as any other mortal being.

"I hope this works, Sari," Optimus said, a measure of uncertainty in his voice.

"So do I," said Sari. With those last words, she closed her eyes, and began to concentrate.

Instantly, a blue glow began to surround her body. Her eyes opened again, revealing two luminescent, pupil-less orbs. Then, the two ends of the Spark Naginata changed form, with each end becoming like the end of a key. It shot forth a beam, and Ultra Magnus' spark chamber opened up before her. Sari approached it, while everyone else looked on in awe.

_"Ultra Magnus,"_ said Sari, her voice possessing an unearthly quality. _"Cybertron still has need of you."_

With one end of the weapon closing over her arm, Sari inserted the other end into Magnus' spark chamber. Then, she turned it like one would turn a key in the ignition of a car, causing energy to flare around both her and Magnus' body. The Autobot leader's optics snapped open, and he let out a loud cry as the energy poured into him. Spontaneously, the damaged portions of his body began to reform, and the medical equipment deactivated, freeing him from the resuscitation equipment.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over. Sari collapsed onto Magnus' chest, breathing heavily. Then, to her surprise, the Naginata reacted again, spontaneously folding up and incorporating itself into her body.

"Sari!" shouted Optimus, as he ran forward. "Are you alright?"

"Forget her!" cried Sentinel, hurrying over as well. "What about Ultra Magnus?"

"... I'll... I'll be fine, big guy," said Sari, as she climbed onto Optimus' outstretched hand. "And now, so with Ultra Magnus...."

At that moment, the Autobot supreme commander groaned, and began to sit up. He brought a hand up to the side of his head, and looked around as though his mind were in a haze. "Where... where am I?" Magnus asked, his optics flickering. "Optimus Prime? Sentinel...? Alpha Trion? What... what has happened?"

Optimus looked down at Sari, a look of amazement of his face. The girl smiled at him, and he couldn't help but return it.

"We'll explain that in a moment, Ultra Magnus, sir," he said. "But for now... welcome back."

_TO BE CONCLUDED_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

And that's the climax of our tale. But once again, I'm not quite done yet. After the epilogue, I'll have much more to stay, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, check out this awesome picture of Blight and Brimstone, drawn by Allspark reader Gunrage: .

I've got only one bio this time, so please enjoy!

* * *

**Star Saber**  
Function: Autobot Stockade Warden  
"You may be able escape me, but you can never escape justice!"

Star Saber is one of Yoketron's finest students, and a legend among the Autobots for his heroic deeds during the Great War. After the war ended, he was expected to take a high ranking position in the Elite Guard, but to everyone's great surprise, he turned it down in favor of becoming warden of Trypticon prison. Star Saber is dedicated to the ideals of justice and to seeing that the prison's inmates pay for what they've done. Unfortunately, he is unable to end the corruption that has seeped into Trypticon's walls, and is constantly working to bring reform. The High Council sees Trypticon as a neccessary evil, though, and they oftentimes force Star Saber to accept decisions he doesn't agree with.

Abilities:  
- Transforms into Cybertronian high-speed pursuit vehicle.  
- Swordsman trained by Master Yoketron and a high-ranking Cyber Ninja.  
- Jump Jets and rocket boots provide limited aerial capabilities.


	5. Epilogue

**Transformers Animated is the property of Hasbro and Takara-Tomy. This fic is completely non-profit and exists for my own personal use and amusement. No infringement on the rights of the original creators is intended.**

**Sunstreaker as portrayed in this story is based on a concept created by Teal. I did not create this version of the character. All other OCs are my creation, save for those elements based on existing Transformers characters from other series.**

_Written By: Razorsaw_

* * *

__

1.5 decacycles later...

Uncertainty. That was why Mindwipe had been so afraid. And truth be told, Megatron understood how his so-called "fellow" Decepticon might have felt. His own future was uncertain, in this dreadful Autobot gulag.

But even then, he would not allow himself to be overcome by the weakness that had consumed Mindwipe.

In the solar cycles since being brought there, Megatron had been carving out his own small fiefdom inside the walls of Trypticon. This was, of course due to Mindwipe's "assistance", both in his initial assistance, and in causing all the recent chaos. With the warden and that frothing lunatic Warpath indisposed after the battle, Megatron was free to do almost whatever he wanted.

Within reason of course.

"We've managed to secure one of the lower levels, Lord Megatron," stated Shockwave, as the two of them walked through one of the prison's halls. This was portion of the massive building that wasn't yet filled or designated with a purpose, as were many corridors in the fortress. Along with the area that Shockwave had just mentioned, it served as a location for him and his men to act freely while their jailers believed them to be still trapped inside their cells.

"Excellent," said Megatron, as he quietly surveyed his surroundings. "Have Lugnut and Blitzwing begin converting it for use immediately."

"Of course, my lord," replied Shockwave. With that bit of business done, the cycloptic Cybertronian felt it was time to ask something of his master.

"... I apologize if this is out of turn, Megatron," he began, "but you have not yet explained just why you have chosen for us to remain here. This skulking around under the Autobots' noses has been successful enough, but I don't understand why we simply can't just escape..."

Megatron paused, and slowly turned around to face Shockwave. The mono-eyed mech had to to resist the urge to cringe as the Decepticon leader... _smiled._

"Shockwave, you had access to the Autobot military archives for _how many_ solar cycles?" asked Megatron. "Think about it for a moment. Why would I want to escape, when the Autobots have handed me such an _irresistible_ opportunity?"

At first, Shockwave had no idea what Megatron was talking about. Then it came to him: A memory of a top secret file he'd once accessed while masquerading as the Autobot Longarm Prime.

If Shockwave had a mouth, he would have started grinning.

"I see," said Shockwave, sounding quite pleased. "That is quite brilliant of you my lord..."

"Thank you," Megatron replied pleasantly. "Now... let us get back to our preparations, hm?"

And they did. For now, the Decepticons would be content to bide their time.

After all, they had everything that they could possibly need, inside the iron walls of Trypticon.

* * *

Optimus took a deep breath as he stood outside Ultra Magnus' office. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. It had been over a decacycle since the ordeal Mindwipe had caused (not to mention Ultra Magnus' own resuscitation), but time had done nothing to ease his apprehension over these matters. By now, Ultra Magnus had more than likely heard that the Council had essentially offered Optimus his job.

But then, there was nothing to be gained by prolonging the inevitable.

The doors to Magnus' office opened, and Optimus stepped inside. Magnus was sitting at his desk, undoubtedly attending to one of the matters that he'd been unable to address while he'd been incapacitated.

"Hello, Optimus," he said, rising from his chair.

"Ultra Magnus, sir," replied Optimus, crossing his arms behind his back. "You wanted to see me?"

Magnus smiled. "At ease, soldier," he said, as he approached Optimus. Somehow, Optimus found it impossible to relax, though.

"I have to say, Optimus," Magnus began, "You've certainly had a lot to deal with in the last three deca-cycles. You faced Megatron, returned the Allspark and Omega Supreme to Cybertron, and then saved us _again_, from a threat we didn't even know existed. I've even heard you've developed a way to fly...!"

Optimus frowned. "With all due respect, Ultra Magnus, sir," he said, "those... incidents... They were resolved due to the actions of others, not me. It was Prowl who reassembled the Allspark. I have beaten Megatron physically, but I would never have won if not for him. And as for Mindwipe, well... he sort of ended up defeating _himself..."_

Upon hearing that, Magnus' expression shifted from a smile to its usual stern, neutral-looking appearance.

"I see. You know, Optimus, I spoke to Sentinel before I called you in here..."

Optimus' optics widened. "You did?" he exclaimed, before quickly regaining his composure. "I mean... that is, um, what did he say?"

"Oh, told me about how your man Ratchet directly challenged his authority when he was acting Magnus, and how Jazz abandoned his post to join your unit on Earth. He also talked about you wielding the Magnus Hammer in battle, not once but _twice_. Then he mentioned something about the two of you getting into a servo-to-servo fight over the council's intention to appoint you Magnus...."

_Oh slag._ "M-Magnus, sir, I can expla-" Optimus began.

"Let me finish," Magnus interrupted, his voice firm. Optimus was surprised, but complied, letting his superior continue.

"Optimus, time and time again, you have surprised me," Magnus began. "The first time was when you took responsibility for what happened on Archa-9. After that, I never thought much of you... until you surprised me again, showing us the truth of what you and your men were doing on Earth. How you'd fought and defeated Megatron... even when I didn't listen, you remained true to what you believed in. And now, I wake up, and I find that all of this happened while I was incapacitated..."

With that, Magnus reached out, and put his hand on Optimus' shoulder. Optimus blinked. He didn't understand.

"Long ago, I told you that being a hero wasn't in your programming," the elder stated "In a way, I wasn't _wrong_ when I said this, Optimus. But you ended up proving me wrong in other ways... it wasn't your programming that made you a hero, Optimus Prime. It was your spark... your conviction to keep fighting. You took a repair crew and turned them into warriors... you stood up against our greatest enemies, and didn't back down..."

Magnus paused, but only for a brief moment.

"Even if you, personally, didn't overcome those instances, your men did because you inspired them as a leader," he said, smiling. "And that is why, when I ultimately put down my hammer and retire from my position, I would like you to be my successor."

Optimus didn't know what to say. Unlike the request from the Council, Magnus' offer didn't feel like an ultimatum. Of course, that didn't change the fact that he still felt _paralyzed_. Nevertheless... this wasn't an attempt to use him. It didn't feel like he was stealing the position from someone else. And it didn't seem like a token gesture being handed down to him after being disgraced.

It was everything he'd ever wanted, presented to him honestly and without pretense.

"I... I accept!" exclaimed Optimus, who was unable to think of a single reason to say no. "I mean... I... am proud to accept the offer, Ultra Magnus sir!"

Magnus' smile grew wider, and he clapped Optimus on the back. This was the happiest Optimus had ever _seen_ the Supreme Commander. In fact, he suspected this was the happiest _anyone_ had seen him.

"Very well then! Though, remember, that day is still a ways off! Until then, however, I have a new assignment for you and your team..."

* * *

"Alright! We're going back to Earth!"

Bumblebee was practically a bundle of impatience and excitement, as he danced back and forth lightly on each of his stabilizing servos.

He had long since been released from incarceration, and now, he and and his fellow Autobots were in a hangar, standing in front of their new ship. It was a sleek, silver colored vessel, and a far cry from the one they'd all started with. Its name? _The Axalon._

"Geez," said Bulkhead, as he read over the vessel's operations manual. "IG-3000 model engines, phase shift shielding...! It even has its own transwarp drive, like Omega Supreme!"

"Whoah!" shouted Sari, hovering up to look over Bulkhead's shoulder. "You mean we have our own _space bridge?"_

"We had one back on earth!" snapped Ratchet, his hands on his old, creaking hips. "Speaking of Omega, I hope he'll be alright here on Cybertron without me. I don't see why we need all a new ship and all these fancy bells and whistles anyway..."

"Oh come on!" said Bumblebee. The last thing Ratchet had mentioned referred to the fact that their team had gotten new mods part of their new assignment. "We earned em! Well, you guys earned em... I just kinda _found_ Prowl's throwing stars. And Jazz let me keep 'em cuz he said Prowl would've wanted me to have em..."

Ratchet grunted, and slotted out the new modifications that had been installed into his arms: a pair of electrical shock paddles. "Well, I suppose it's nice to have new medical equipment... but I don't see why Bulkhead needs a chainsaw!"

"Buzzsaw," Bulkhead corrected. "And it's not as cool as Optimus' new axe. But hey, you know what it's like on Earth! We'll need em! Wreck-Gar alone'll probably have a mess waiting for us by the time we get back!"

Upon hearing that, Ratchet looked like he might be sick. "Ugh! Thanks for reminding me..."

The group grew silent from then on, standing at attention upon noticing the individuals heading towards them. Optimus and Ultra Magnus led the pack. Also with them were Sentinel, followed by Sentinel and Star Saber, and then by Jazz, Glyph, and Arcee. The latter two had all gotten to know each other and the crew fairly well in the recent solar cycles, and the group presumed that they were there to see them off. This fact made Bulkhead slump down a bit, though he tried to hide it.

Once they were all together, Optimus moved to stand alongside his men. "At ease soldiers," said Magnus, and the five of them relaxed.

"Hey Jazz," said Bumblebee, waving to the now familiar ninja-bot. He had noticed that Jazz had changed his paint job since he last saw him, more than likely due to the damage that he had suffered during his battle with Brimstone. His once white armor was now silver and black, and it lacked the blue and red racing stripes that had once adorned his vehicle shell. But something else had caught Bumblebee's eye besides that... Namely, the absence of an Elite Guard symbol on the other robot's chest.

"Hey man, what happened? Did you get fired or something?"

Jazz chuckled, and shot a knowing glance in Arcee and Glyph's direction. "Naw, man. I traded up."

"Ahem," grunted Ultra Magnus, keeping them from discussing the matter further. "Optimus Prime. You and your crew are to voyage to Earth, and once there, serve as Cybertron's diplomatic ambassadors. In addition, you are to lend your assistance to the local life forms in matters of importance, and to oversee the reclaiming and management of all Cybertronian artifacts remaining on the planet. Do you accept this mission?"

"We accept!" they all replied, in unison.

"Very well, then," replied Magnus. "In light of your mission, I am proud to announce the induction of Sari Sumdac into the Autobot ranks. Furthermore, I am _also_ pleased to appoint each and every one of you into the Cybertron Elite Guard. Sentinel Prime, if you would please?"

They knew it was coming, but that didn't stop the five Autobots from grinning at one another in anticipation. Even Ratchet seemed smugly satisfied as Sentinel strode forward reluctantly, holding a metal case in his hands. He opened it, and with a look of visible pain on his face, he began to place the elite Guard Emblem on them. Even Sari received one, and she looked downright mischievous as Sentinel was forced to put the tiny symbol on her techno-organic armor.

Finally, the only one that was left... was Bumblebee.

"It's real this time," growled Sentinel, as he all but slapped the final one on to Bumblebee's chest. "Be thankful for small favors, soldier."

"Thanks, _sarge,_" replied Bumblebee..

With the job done, Sentinel stepped back to his place at Ultra Magnus' side. At this point, Bumblebee allowed himself a small chuckle. However, when he turned to Bulkhead to gloat, he noticed his larger friend looked rather melancholy, as he stared forward at Glyph.

"Hey, don't worry," said Bumblebee. "She totally digs you, man!"

"Yeah!" piped up Sari. "And long distance relationships _always_ work out... right?"

Bulkhead didn't get a chance reply to that, because moments later, Ultra Magnus had another announcement.

"Furthermore, Optimus Prime, the High Council has requested that civilian diplomats accompany you to earth. Jazz, Arcee, and Glyph... Do you accept your new appointments?"

"We do, Ultra Magnus, sir!"

"... Or she could be coming with us," remarked Sari.

"That would have been good to know," added Bumblebee, blinking.

Instead of replying to them, Bulkhead sprang forward towards the blue femmebot, shaking the earth with his massive footsteps. He let out a happy cheer, and wrapped his arms around Glyph, swinging her through the air as they both laughed and embraced one another.

That is... until they both realized everyone was _staring_ at them. "Um, sorry," said Bulkhead, his faceplate turning red as he set her down. "My bad."

Arcee chuckled, and approached Ratchet. "It's a pleasure to be working with you doctor," she said. "I hope Earth is as surprising as you've proven to be."

Ratchet grinned back at her. "Trust me, Arcee. Earth is full of surprises."

Meanwhile, Jazz was walking up to Sentinel. "Hey S.P.," he said, offering the blue Autobot his hand. "I'll be seein' ya, alright?"

Sentinel eyed Jazz for a moment, before begrudgingly accepting the servo that had been offered to him. No words about what had transpired before needed to be said... that was all behind them now.

"Don't go soft around all those organics," advised Sentinel.

"Keep Jetfire and Jetstorm outta trouble for me, and you've got a deal," replied Jazz.

The two drew apart, shooting one last smile at each other. Jazz then approached Star Saber. There was one last bit of business that those two had to discuss before Jazz left for Earth.

"Any luck tracking down the punk that cheap-shotted you after the battle with tall, dark, and fiery?" Jazz asked, keeping his voice low.

"I don't have any proof, but I'm certain it was that so-called detective, Nightbeat," Star Saber whispered. "I recognized his voice before I went into stasis lock. Considering Brimstone and Mindwipe's bodies have both gone missing... I imagine Alpha-31 will be looking into everyone that was involved in that mess. They don't cut corners."

"Then I'll be ready," said Jazz, as he looked over at his new crewmates.

With that, the two Cyber Ninjas parted ways. Jazz went to stand alongside his new crew. Sari sat on Bumblebee's shoulder, Glyph and Bulkhead stood arm-in-arm, and Ratchet had his arm around Arcee's shoulder. And there was Optimus, looking as proud as he'd ever been. Jazz smiled to himself, and took his place among them.

"Ultra Magnus, sir," said Optimus, saluting. "Requesting permission to depart for Planet Earth!"

Magnus nodded. "Permission granted. Autobots, you are dismissed!"

With that, they all began to move into the ship, with Bumblebee voicing a challenge to the others to race him inside. Ratchet fired back with his usual demand for Bumblebee to slow down, but Optimus just laughed.

Some things never changed.

Now, it was time to go back to Earth. But before they could return to Detroit, there was something else they had to take care of first.

* * *

It seemed that this whole ordeal began with a funeral. And now, it was ending with one.

The four original members of Optimus' crew, Sari, and Jazz stood around a small marker on an island on Lake Erie, while Glyph and Arcee looked on from a short distance away. This was the second time they'd laid Prowl to rest, but this time... this time it had a stronger sense of finality.

There would be no grand speech this time. No eulogy. Just five friends, alone with their memories, and the knowledge that wherever he was now, Prowl could rest easy.

Slowly, they began to depart, heading back to the Axalon. The last one to leave was Bumblebee, who knelt down in front of the marker and started to mount something on it. Once it was done, he sat back to admire his handiwork.

"We both made it, buddy. Rest well, okay?"

With that, Bumblebee rose and ran to join his friends. Behind him, an Autobot symbol sat atop Prowl's marker. As the two friends finally parted ways, the rustling of the wind and the chirping of birds told Bumblebee served as a reminder of Prowl's love of nature, telling him that things were as they should be.

Now, it was time to move on. To move on, but never, ever to forget.

_We will all clear a series of trials, and overcome what we are now.  
Forward down the path of distress!  
Believe in infinite evolution, and fight!_

**Transformers Animated - Return to Cybertron  
THE END**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Wreck-Gar: Th-th-th-th-that's all, folks!

Okay, now I can finally talk about things! This was a fun road to go down, and I'm enormously satisfied with the results. This was my first dedicated Transformers story, after numerous previous attempts that never got off the ground. Hopefully this will be the start of a great new thing for me, and that I'll be able to make good on my promises of building a TFA expanded universe.

First, some acknowledgments. Special thanks goes out to my pre-readers and betas, DigiStarDBZ, Infinity Blade, and Ryune. You helped me develop so much of this story, in addition to getting it out in readable condition.

Second, special thanks to Teal for letting me use her Sunstreaker concept.

Finally, a special shout out to Fan reader Black Oracle. I had never actually read your stories before starting on this, but after looking at your works, I saw some notable similarities to your "Glimpses" works, particularly in regards to Prowl's funeral and Optimus and Magnus's conversation. Great minds think alike, eh? Keep up the good work!

And now, some final words.

I've been a Transformers fan for several years now, and _Animated_ was one of the series that resonated with me the most. Unfortunately, before we all knew it, it was gone. A lot of people seemed angry about this, and, in fact, still are. I wouldn't exactly say that I personally felt angry, but... at the same time, it doesn't feel like it's over. In a way, there's a desire to see it come back.

That's kind of what this story is all about. Yes, it's fundamentally about Bumblebee's struggle to come to terms with loss, but at the same time, it parallels what a lot of us are feeling about this great show that faded before its time. But in the end, we have to move on... and explore the great things that the fandom still has in store for us. Animated was all about melding the old and the new, and accepting new directions for the franchise... In a way, we should honor its legacy by doing the same.

Well, provided that what's coming our way is actually _good_, but I digress.

Of course, I'm not leaving Animated behind. My next story will be coming soon, hopefully, picking up on the Autobots' adventures in New Detroit. I've also got a story focusing in Sentinel waiting in the wings, and an arc focused on the barely glimpsed Team Rodimus.

I also realize... I kinda set myself up for a fall, expanding on so many barely seen season 3 characters. With the second Allspark Almanac coming soon, there will undoubtedly be some differences between what I wrote and what the producers of the show actually intended. It can't be helped, I suppose, and I'll try to work with whatever else gets thrown my way in the future.

Lastly, the lyrics from the end of this chapter are taken from the Japanese Animated opening theme, _Transformers Evo._

Here's the final "bio" section for this story, though this time I focused on some of the locations and concepts I created for the story instead of actual characters.

* * *

**The Dark Order**

The Dark Order is an enigmatic group of Decepticons that serve as the invisible hand of the Decepticon empire. Though they are considered the counterparts of the Autobots' Cyber Ninja Corps, they do not consist entirely of warriors trained in same arts as Yoketron's students. They include thieves, saboteurs, spies, and exiles, along with scientists and those with designs too depraved even for the rest of the Decepticon army. A select few have managed to master processor over matter, but they employ it very differently from the Autobots - they use it as a method of control, in order to dominate the minds of their victims or to control the conditions of the battlefield in their favor.

The Dark Order's leader is named Bludgeon, a Decepticon who is said to have lived since before the Great War. He has since disappeared, and is said to control the Dark Order from the shadows whilst answering only to Megatron.

**The Spark Naginata**

The Spark Naginata is a weapon from Cybertron's ancient past. Originally possessed by Master Yoketron of the Cyber Ninja Corps, it was passed on to Ultra Magnus after the Autobot leader completed his training in the master's dojo. It has the ability to serve as a link between the Allspark and all manner of devices, even living ones like Cybertronians, and modify its structure according to its user's will. Nevertheless, its peaceful functions are often ignored, which has resulted in its current shape as a weapon. To activate the Naginata, and thus use it to direct the Allspark's power, one must first use the Allspark to activate it - or at least, a vessel that contains a high enough concentration of its power.

**Boltax**

Boltax is the head of the Ministry of Science. Its name is taken from the Ministry's founder, who also oversaw the construction of an underground communications hub during the Great War, called "the Underbase." It, along with the Ministry itself, plays host to a variety of departments, including weapon design, systems analysis, protoform development, advanced architecture, and interstellar archaeology. Prior to its construction, the Ministry of Science operated out of the Metroplex.

**The Axalon**

The latest in Cybertronian technology, given to Optimus Prime and his crew for their mission to earth. Its most distinguishing feature is its transwarp drive, which are perfected versions of the ones installed on Omega Supreme. Furthermore, it is equipped with the latest model IG-3000 engines, phase-shift shielding, and Riker blasters, and has quarters for a crew of ten in addition to a full functional medical bay.

Will it survive Bulkhead's attempts to tamper with the transwarp drive? Only time will tell.


End file.
